An office-bearer of the youth wing of Shiv Sena was on Monday arrested for allegedly assaulting a shop assistant for refusing to provide free ‘vada-pavs’. The incident took place in suburban Vile Parle (West) on Saturday but the FIR was registered on Monday. The accused, Sunil Mahadik, allegedly hit Chetan Geveriya (28), who works at Trupti Sweet and Farsan Mart on D J Road, with a bamboo stick, police said. A day ago, Mahadik had sent another person to the shop demanding 100 vada pavs, a popular street-food here, free of cost. Chetan told him that they didn’t have so much stock, so the person left. The next day, Mahadik allegedly called Geveriya on his mobile phone and abused him, and said he must hand over 100 vada pavs immediately to a person he was sending. Geveria said Mahadik should speak to the owner of the shop first. Irked, Mahadik himself went to the shop and hit Geveria with a bamboo stick and threatened to kill him, police said.

Geveria, though not seriously injured, was taken to Cooper hospital in Juhu, police said. The incident was captured by the CCTV cameras in the shop and Juhu police registered an FIR. The footage was also aired by some local news channels.

Shiv Sena workers have been known for their unruly behaviour in the past with incidents ranging from cadre blackening the face of an activist and a "former Shiv Sena member" caught on camera while assaulting a female police officer.

Mahadik was arrested and a local court sent him to police custody. This incident comes in the wake of another in neighbouring Thane where a Shiv Sena worker was arrested for allegedly assaulting a woman traffic constable three days ago. CCTV footage of the incident had gone viral.