Man held for obstructing civic officials demolishing building

A man has been arrested for allegedly trying to stop civic officials from pulling down a dilapidated structure in Maharashtra's Thane district, police said Saturday.

A Thane Municipal Corporation team led deputy municipal commissioner Ashok Burpulle, assistant civic commissioner Maruti Gaikwad and others were at Harinivas Circle here to pull down Aji Kripa building Friday evening when the incident happened, an official from Naupada police station said.

Dileep Sonone, who is reportedly a district-level member of a political party, asked the officials to stop work and resorted to abuses and also tried to hit them when they refused to heed him, police said.

"The building had been declared dangerous after a structural audit in 2001 and residents were evacuated in August, 2015. Sonone used to be a resident of this building earlier," the official said.

Based on a complaint by a civic official, Sonone was arrested under section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, he added.

A local court remanded him in judicial custody and further probe was underway, the police official said.