Sambhaji Bhide in trouble for his 'mangoes for sons' remark
(PTI desk)
Controversial Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide has been found guilty of violating the law with his "mangoes for sons" remarks and will be dragged to court by the Nashik civic body. An advisory committee of Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has found Bhide guilty of violating the Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act (PCPNDT Act) with his remarks, an official said.
Bhide's garden has magical mangoes
Bhide had last month claimed a number of couples were blessed with sons after eating mangoes from his orchard. "Mangoes are powerful and nutritious. Some women who ate mangoes of my garden have given birth to sons," Bhide had said, addressing a gathering in Nashik.
NMC health department probes matter as Bhide's remarks sparks controversy
Bhide's remarks drew flak from the public and Additional Director of Health, Pune, asked the NMC to look into the matter after receiving a complaint against Bhide from a member of the Ahmednagar civic body's committee. Accordingly, the committee, which works under the NMC's health department, probed the matter and submitted a report to the civic commissioner yesterday, said JZ Kothari, NMC's medical superintendent.
The Hindutva leader will appear in a local court
The panel had served a notice to Bhide, seeking his explanation, but he did not appear before it. Bhide was found guilty of violating Section 22 of the PCPNDT Act (prohibition of advertisement relating to pre-conception and pre-natal determination of sex and punishment for contravention). The advisory committee decided to file a case against Bhide in a local court under the Act, Kothari said.
Not the first time Bhide's actions sparked controversy
Bhide, who heads the Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan and was an ex-RSS activist, is an accused in the January 1 Bhima-Koregaon caste violence case.
