Former Mumbai Mayor and Shiv Sena corporator Milind Vaidya on Friday assaulted a poultry seller after traders parked their trucks in the Mahim railway station area. A video of the assault has been shared widely on social media.

In the video, Vaidya is seen slapping the poultry seller and verbally abusing the drivers. The incident took place around 10 am in Naya Nagar area of Mahim.

Vaidya claimed his actions were in public interest. “The trucks are stationed at this spot everyday, causing nuisance and unhygienic conditions,” The Hindu quoted him as saying. “I have been raising this issue in ward council meetings for two years now. But neither BMC [Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation] nor the police took any action against them.”

The Shiv Sena member said local people were facing difficulties and hygiene problems. “People who walk to Mahim station have to bear this smell and trash everyday,” he said. “That is why I had to come to the streets in public interest.” After the incident, around 10 poultry trucks stationed in the area were made to move, reported The Hindu.

In the past week, at two other public representatives have come under the scanner for attacking people in the name of public interest. On Thursday, Congress MLA from Maharashtra Nitesh Narayan Rane and two of his supporters were arrested after they poured mud on a civic engineer and tied him to a bridge near Kankavli in Sindhudurg district. The Shiv Sena demanded action against Nitesh Rane after a video of the incident was circulated on social media.

Last month, Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Akash Vijayvargiya, who is the son of BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, had assaulted a municipal corporation officer with a cricket bat in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed anger at the incident, and said those who welcomed Vijayvargiya after his release from pison on bail should be sacked.