Thane: Eknath Shinde faction’s city head shot at; BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad held

A still from CCTV footage capturing the shooting. Pics/Navneet Barhate

Thane police have arrested Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ganpat Gaikwad and two others for firing and injuring Mahesh Gaikwad, former corporator of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and city president of Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena faction, and his associate. The incident took place in the cabin of a senior police inspector of the Hill Line police station on Friday night.

The police said a case has been registered against six people, including MLA Gaikwad, his son Vaibhav, his private body guard Harshal Kane and three others. Three of the accused were arrested and produced in the Ulhasnagar court in front of Judge AA Nikam. The police are in search of the other three accused.

A huge bandobast was deployed near the court premises to maintain the law and order situation. When the judge asked Gaikwad if he had anything to say, the MLA informed the court that the police is working under pressure from CM Eknath Shinde and trying to frame his son, Vaibhav. "I was present at the spot and I had fired the rounds, but my son is being framed. That a person like me has been forced to take the law into my hands also should be taken into consideration," he said.

Mahesh Gaikwad

By afternoon, the footage of the firing incident went viral on social media, raising questions about how it was leaked in the first place. "How did the CCTV footage go viral, that too from the cabin of a senior police inspector? This has been done on purpose to defame Gaikwad," said the MLA's advocate Rahul Arote.

The court remanded Gaikwad and others arrested to police custody till February 14. The police said they had recovered all the evidence in the case, including the CCTV footage, firearms and other digital and electronic evidence of the crime. They said Mahesh Gaikwad was shot with six bullets, and his associate, Rahul Patil, was hit by two. Both were admitted to Jupiter Hospital and were undergoing treatment. After the incident, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis announced a high-level committee to look into the matter.

The incident

According to the police, MLA Ganpat Gaikwad and his private security guard Harshal Kane fired indiscriminately at Mahesh Gaikwad. The incident has created an atmosphere of tension in Ulhasnagar and surrounding areas.

The police said on Friday night, around 9.30 pm, Vaibhav Gaikwad, the son of MLA Gaikwad, came with his supporters to the Hill Line police station, in connection with Eknath Jadhav's land dispute in Dwarli village. After that, the Shinde faction's city head Mahesh Gaikwad, Rahul Patil and Chainu Jadhav, along with their workers, also came to file a complaint regarding the land in question.

"The supporters of both groups were shouting and arguing with each other outside the police station. Due to this, there was confusion. Then, Mahesh Gaikwad, Rahul Patil and Chainu Jadhav went and sat in the cabin of Senior Police Inspector Anil Jagtap. Within minutes, MLA Gaikwad also came into the cabin. In the meantime, arguments had started in the premises outside the police station among supporters. When Jagtap went outside to deal with the situation and bring it under control, MLA Gaikwad suddenly started firing with a revolver with the intention to kill Mahesh Gaikwad and Rahul Patil," said a police officer.

Meanwhile, Jagtap came back into the cabin. At that time, MLA Gaikwad was sitting on top of Mahesh Gaikwad and beating him with the revolver button. "Inspector Jagtap grabbed the revolver from Gaikwad's hand. At the same time, Gaikwad's personal bodyguard, Kane, came into the hall and started shooting indiscriminately at Mahesh Gaikwad with his revolver. Meanwhile, other police officers and staff at the police station grabbed the revolvers from Kane and detained the accused. The injured were immediately admitted to Ulhasnagar's Meera Hospital for primary treatment. But as their condition was critical, they were taken to Jupiter Hospital in Thane," added the police officer.

On the basis of a complaint filed by Chainu Jadhav, a case has been registered against the accused MLA Gaikwad, Kane, Sandeep Anant Saravankar, Vaibhav Gaikwad, Nagesh Badekar, Vicky Ganotra and others under Sections 307, 120 B, 143, 147, 148, 149, 109, 323, 504 of the IPC along with sections of the Arms Act.

Dattarey Shinde, Additional Commissioner of Police, said, "Ganpat Gaikwad confessed about the firing to the media which is a part of the evidence." A report from Jupiter hospital said Mahesh Gaikwad was brought late on Friday night with multiple gunshot injuries. "His condition is critical and doctors are monitoring him closely," a source said.