'Hatred for Maharashtra… in Goa,' says Ayesha Takia on case against husband

Actor Ayesha Takia's husband, Abu Farhan Azmi, was booked by police in Goa at a public place at Candolim village in North Goa. In a post, the actress said her family was 'brutally bullied' by goons

Actor Ayesha Takia has expressed her disappointment with the Goa police for booking her husband, Abu Farhan Azmi. Reacting to the incident, she stated that "hatred for Maharashtra has reached unbelievable heights in Goa." 

Son of Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi, Abu Farhan Azmi is an entrepreneur who was detained by the Goa police on Friday after he got involved in an argument with two locals over how his vehicle was being driven.  

Along with Abu Farhan Azmi, the police also detained the two locals, Zeon Fernandes and Joseph Fernandes, and Azmi’s driver Sham, putting charges of “fighting in a public place, thereby disturbing public peace” in North Goa’s Candolim, police said. However, all four were released shortly thereafter. 

Defending her husband, the actress shared a post on instagram where she stated that her husband and son were brutally bullied. In the viral post, Ayesha Takia wrote, “It was a night of horror for our family, up until this morning… my husband and son were brutally bullied and scared for their life as local Goan goons mobbed, threatened and tormented them for hours. They even badly roughed up the police who were called by my husband to protect our son and him.” 

“The hatred for Maharashtra has reached unbelievable heights in Goa… as they repeatedly cursed Farhan and my son for being from Maharashtra and having a big car. The police, in turn, have filed a complaint against Farhan, when he was the one in fact who dialled 100 for help against the large crowd of almost 150 people,” she added. 

Concluding her post, the actress said, “We have video proof and evidence, including CCTV footage, which will be shared with competent authorities in due course of time. We are cooperating with the law enforcement agencies and we believe in the justice of the system and our Indian courts.”

Video of the incident gone viral: Watch here

  According to the police, a phone call was received at 11.12 pm on Monday at the police control room in Panaji regarding a fight near Newton Super Market in Candolim. 

Police mentioned that Abu Farhan Azmi, his teenage son and his driver were travelling in a Mercedes SUV when they took a turn near the supermarket. Resultantly, two locals, who were in a vehicle behind them, got into an argument with Azmi and his driver. The two locals claimed Azmi took a turn without signalling an indicator while changing lanes. 

When the argument escalated, the family members of the two men and a local group arrived, asking Azmi and the driver to step out of the car. 

“Since the individuals involved were fighting in a public place, disturbing public peace, and causing affray, a complaint was filed by PSI Paresh Sinari of Calangute police station,” the police said in a statement. 

A case was subsequently registered against Abu Farhan Azmi, Zeon Fernandes, Joseph Fernandes, Sham, and others under section 194 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.