Minister denies role in attack

Minister denies role in attack
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

August 20: Minister of State for Food and Civil Supplies Naseem Khan today strongly denied he was involved in the assault on Congress activist Pandurang Sawant on Friday evening.

Talking to Mumbai Newsline today, Naseem Khan said: ``I was not present during the joint Congress meeting of north-east and north-central districts at Sion on Friday. So there is no question of my being involved in the alleged assault on Sawant.''

The minister said the allegations against him were baseless, politically motivated and made with an intention to defame him.

The 41-year-old organising secretary of Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee, Pandurang Sawant, was beaten up by six persons who are alleged to be supporters of Khan after the conclusion of the joint district Congress meeting on Friday evening. However, while Sawant had said that he saw Khan standing at the main gate of the Manav Seva Sangh Hall, where the meeting was held, the minister counter-argued that he was in fact on his way to attend a meeting at Mantralaya on Friday evening.

However, Sawant has filed an FIR at Sion police station against the six unidentified men who assaulted him.