Police arrest BJP MLA, two associates in Ulhasnagar firing incident; high-level inquiry ordered

Thane (Maharashtra) [India], February 3 (ANI): The police have arrested Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ganpat Gaikwad and two of his associates in the Ulhasnagar firing incident.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanavis have ordered a high-level inquiry into the police station firing incident. A Crime Branch Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed to investigate the incident.

According to the information received from the police, Vaibhav Gaikwad, his father Ganapati Gaikwad reached the Hill Line police station along with their workers between 9:30 and 9:45 pm on Friday, to file a complaint in connection with a land dispute.

Following this, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leaders Mahesh Gaikwad, Rahul Patil and Chainu Jadhav also arrived with their workers to lodge a complaint in connection with the same land, police said.

The supporters of both the BJP and Sena workers were arguing and sloganeering with each other outside the police station.

During this, Mahesh Gaikwad, Rahul Patil and Chainu Jadhav came inside and sat at the cabin of senior officer Anil Jagtap of Hill Line Police Station. After a while, BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad also came and sat at the cabin of senior police officer Jagtap.

Meanwhile, workers from both sides started shouting at the premises outside the police station. When Senior Police Inspector Anil Jagtap came out of his cabin to handle the situation, MLA Ganpat Gaikwad sitting in the cabin, suddenly fired at Mahesh Gaikwad and Rahul Patil, at their chests and seriously injured them.

Mahesh Gaikwad and Rahul Patil who were critically injured at the firing incident, have been admitted to the Jupiter Hospital in Thane for treatment, police said.

“Going by what has been found here, there was no question of (firing in) self-defence. The injured were sitting and watching the CCTV screen. There was no argument or provocation. But he (Ganpat Gaikwad) aimed and shot them,” Thane Additional CP Datta Shinde said.

“A total of ten rounds were fired in the Ulhasnagar incident. Six bullets were taken out of Mahesh Gaikwad’s body by the doctors,” the Additional CP said.