Mumbai, Jun 1 (Reporter) A sessions court in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra has acquitted Fisheries minister Nitesh Rane and 30 others for their alleged involvement in a 2017 incident where a basket full of Bangda (mackerel) fish was thrown at a Fisheries department official in Sindhudurg district, after prosecution failed to prove the case. While, the official and eyewitnesses turned hostile and claimed they did not see who flung the fish, a lawyer said here on Sunday. Additional Sessions Judge V S Deshmukh in its order noted that no identification parade of the accused was conducted by the investigating officer and there is no reliable evidence on record to prove that the accused caused obstruction to the informant and witnesses while discharging their official duties as public servant. The video of the incident, which had been widely shared online, was not brought before the trial as evidence. The Sindhudurg additional sessions court on May 21 acquitted Rane and others of charges, including unlawful assembly, use of criminal force, assault and causing hurt to a public servant on duty. The detailed order was made available recently. According to the prosecution officers, on July six, 2017, a large mob entered the cabin of the then assistant commissioner of Fisheries, Pradeep Vast, in Malvan. They were protesting over issues faced by the fisher community in the district. Rane and the others were arrested after a video showed him purportedly flinging a fish at the official and others hurling abuses. An offence was registered against them by than Shiv Sena UBT-led government and on the same day all of them were granted bail by the court. During the trial, Vast said various groups had come to his office on issues related to fishing, and his cabin was overcrowded. He said that when he was going through the representation being made by Rane, an unknown person committed the offence, and he was unable to state who had thrown a basketful of bangda fish on his table and flung one at him, which hit his cheek. Some officials of the Fisheries department, who were witness to the incident during their deposition in the court, did not support the prosecution's case and claimed that they had not seen who committed the offence. While the FIR also alleged that Vast had been restrained in his chair and abused by Rane, the witnesses said that due to the commotion, they did not hear the actual words said by any of the accused...////...