Woman who vandalised Maha deputy CM’s office identified; is mentally ill: Police

A day after a woman vandalised the office of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis at Mantralaya, the state secretariat, in Mumbai, she has been identified as Dhanashri Sahastrabuddhe, police said on Friday.
Sahastrabuddhe, a resident of Ramgiri Heights apartment in the city’s Dadar suburb, is ‘mentally unstable,’ it added.
“This incident took place around 6:35pm on Thursday. An FIR has been registered against the woman, who has some mental illness. We are going through video footages to investigate how she entered the office,” India Today quoted Praveen Munde, a senior police official, as saying.
Further, he noted that the accused has been involved in similar controversies in the past.
On Friday, a police team arrived at Ramgiri Heights to arrest Sahastrabuddhe. They found the door of her house was locked from the inside.
However, upon discovering she has mental illness, the team chose not to break open the door as they feared the lady could take some extreme step, and decided not to proceed with the arrest.
Sahastrabuddhe’s neighbours also expressed concern over her ‘erratic’ behaviour, saying that the residents, particularly children, are constantly worried she could harm herself or others.
Meanwhile, the opposition Congress party questioned the law and order situation under the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra.
“Once can imagine the law and order situation when the office of the deputy chief minister office can be vandalised”, said Nana Patole, the state unit chief of the Congress.
In response, Fadnavis, who also holds the crucial home portfolio, claimed the Opposition had ‘no other issue to argue about’
“This incident occurred yesterday. We will inquire if the woman has any concerns. We will also probe if someone had sent her,” the BJP leader stated.