A BJP MLA, Ganpat Gaikwad from Kalyan East, has been arrested for shooting at a local Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leader inside a police station in Ulhasnagar, in Thane district of Maharashtra, on Friday night, police said. Two of the MLA’s associates have also been arrested.
The person who was shot at has been identified as Mahesh Gaikwad, the Kalyan city president of the Shiv Sena (Shinde). Hospital sources said he suffered six gunshot injuries and is critical. One of his associates was also shot twice.
Speaking to reporters after the incident, the MLA admitted that he had opened fire. He alleged that his son was “manhandled” and “beaten up” inside the police station, and claimed “self defence”. Police, however, said the CCTV footage showed that “the firing did not take place for self-defence”.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered a high-level probe into the incident.
Police said the issue was linked to a land dispute. While police said the plot of land belonged to one Eknath Namdev Jadhav, a PTI report quoted the MLA as saying that he had bought it 10 years ago. According to the report, he said there were some legal issues but they won the matter in the court. However, Mahesh Gaikwad occupied the land by force, he alleged.
According to the police, the MLA, accompanied by his supporters, arrived at the Hill Line police station in Ulhasnagar at about 9.30 pm on Friday. “The disputed land is in Dwarli village, which is under the jurisdiction of Hill Line police station… Subsequently, Mahesh Gaikwad, Rahul Patil and Chainu Jadhav also arrived at the police station, along with their workers, to file a complaint with regard to the same land,” a police officer said.
While the MLA, Mahesh Gaikwad and some others were inside the cabin of Senior Police Inspector Anil Jagtap, their supporters started fighting outside. At about 10 pm, when Jagtap stepped out to speak to the supporters, the MLA suddenly took out his licensed revolver and fired multiple rounds at Mahesh Gaikwad and Rahul Patil, police said, citing CCTV footage from the room.
“Hearing the firing, Jagtap rushed back inside… he saw the MLA sitting over Mahesh Gaikwad and assaulting him with the butt of his revolver,” said a police officer.
The MLA’s private bodyguard, Harshal Kene, also allegedly fired some rounds at Mahesh Gaikwad. The police personnel took possession of both the weapons belonging to the MLA and his bodyguard.
Countering the MLA’s claim of “self-defence”, police said the entire sequence of events was captured on CCTV. “This firing did not take place for self-defence. The CCTV footage clearly shows that the two victims were sitting and watching CCTV footage of what was happening outside. They were engrossed in watching the TV screen when the accused got up, took aim at them and fired shots,” Thane Additional Commissioner of Police Datta Shinde said.
Police said a total of 10 rounds was fired from two different revolvers. “Six rounds were fired from one revolver and four rounds from the other,” Additional Commissioner of Police Shinde said.
Police have registered a case of attempt to murder, assault and conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code and Arms Act, based on Jadhav’s statement.
On Saturday, the MLA was produced before a court, which sent him to police custody till February 14.
“Ganpat Gaikwad and Harshal Nana Kene first fired on Mahesh Gaikwad and Rahul Patil inside the cabin of the senior inspector of Hill Line police station in Ulhasnagar. Sandeep Anant Sarvankar and other associates were also booked as they were supporting Ganpat Gaikwad. Sarvankar has been arrested along with Ganpat Gaikwad and Kene,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 4-Thane) Sudhakar Pathare said.
“We are looking for three more accused, identified as Vaibhav Gaikwad, Nagesh Badekar and Vicky Ganotra. We are in the process of recording the statements of eyewitnesses and scanning CCTV footage to ascertain the exact sequence of events. We will also look into the dispute between Ganpat Gaikwad and Mahesh Gaikwad,” a police officer said.
Speaking to reporters before his arrest, the MLA said: “My son was manhandled inside the police station. They forcibly took possession of my land. Eknath Shinde is trying to create a rule of criminals in Maharashtra. If he remains the Chief Minister, Maharashtra will only see the emergence of criminals. It is Shinde who has made a criminal out of me today. I was frustrated and that is the reason I opened fire. I do not have any regrets. If my son is beaten up inside the police station what do you expect me to do? I was not planning to kill them but if someone behaves this way right in front of the police, then I have to act in self-defence.”
On Saturday, he told the court: “Police are working under the pressure of the chief minister. My son was not at the spot of the firing but he has still been named as an accused… We did not conspire anything… If an MLA like me is being forced to take such a step, one can understand the situation here.”
Ganpat Gaikwad is a three-time MLA from Kalyan East, having won the seat twice as an Independent (2009 and 2014), before joining the BJP in 2019. He is known to be a bitter critic of Shinde and his son, Lok Sabha member Shrikant Shinde, and has accused them of meddling with work in his constituency. He has said the BJP should field a candidate from Kalyan Lok Sabha seat, which is represented by Shrikant Shinde. Ulhasnagar falls in Kalyan East Assembly constituency, and Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency.
Both the injured were rushed to Meera Hospital in Ulhasnagar and later shifted to Jupiter Hospital in Thane.
Hospital sources said Mahesh Gaikwad was brought to Jupiter Hospital with six gunshot injuries, and an emergency surgery was performed at night. “Post-surgery, he is on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit. His condition is currently critical and the expert team of specialist doctors… is monitoring his vitals closely,” said a source.
Both CM Shinde and his son Shrikant visited Mahesh Gaikwad in hospital early on Saturday.
“The investigation is underway… Ganpat Gaikwad has said he used a gun in self-defence,” said State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
Meanwhile, the Opposition parties targeted the Shinde government over the incident. Demanding Fadnavis’s resignation as home minister, NCP MP Supriya Sule said: “I will raise this issue in Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session.”
“This is the current state of affairs in Maharashtra unfortunately, under a highly incapable and shameless, illegal CM. How will citizens feel safe under these criminals running the regime,” Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said.
BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad (left) has been held for allegedly firing on Mahesh Gaikwad, the Kalyan city president of the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena. 
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