THANE: A Bharatiya Janata Party MLA has been arrested for allegedly shooting and injuring a leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena over a land dispute in Maharashtra’s Thane district, officials said on Saturday.
Kalyan MLA Ganpat Gaikwad of BJP opened fire on Mahesh Gaikwad, the Shiv Sena chief of Kalyan, inside the chamber of the senior inspector of Hill Line police station in Ulhasnagar area on Friday night, Additional Commissioner of Police Dattatrya Shinde told the media.
Talking to a news channel before his arrest, Ganpat Gaikwad said that he used the firearm as his son was being beaten at the police station. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is trying to establish a “kingdom of criminals” in Maharashtra, he alleged.
Mahesh Gaikwad was taken to a local hospital before being shifted to a private medical facility in Thane. “He underwent surgery, which was successful,” said Gopal Landge, Kalyan in-charge of Sena.
According to Additional CP Shinde, Ganpat Gaikwad’s son had come to the police station to lodge a complaint in connection with a land dispute when Mahesh Gaikwad arrived along with his men. Later, Ganpat Gaikwad also reached the police station.
During an altercation between the MLA and the Sena leader, Ganpat Gaikwad allegedly fired shots at Mahesh Gaikwad inside the senior inspector’s chamber, injuring him and his associate, the official said.
“Yes, I shot (him) myself. I have no regrets. If my son is being beaten in front of the police inside the police station, what will I do,” asked Ganpat Gaikwad while talking to a news channel. He claimed that he fired five rounds.
The BJP MLA alleged that Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is “trying to create a kingdom of criminals in Maharashtra”. BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena belong to the ruling coalition in Maharashtra.
“If Eknath Shinde is the chief minister, only criminals will be born in Maharashtra. He has made a good person like me a criminal today,” he said.
Besides Ganpat Gaikwad, the police have also arrested two others. They have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections, including 307 (attempt to murder) and 120B (criminal conspiracy), said an official.