Amid escalating tensions within the BJP-Sena alliance, BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, arrested for firing at Kalyan Shiv Sena chief Mahesh Gaikwad, is now facing charges under the SC/ST Atrocities Act for allegedly using caste slurs before the altercation.
The confrontation between the MLA and Sena activist from the Shinde camp was reportedly sparked by a land dispute. According to police sources, Madhumati Jadhav, who filed the complaint, had been in contention with Ganpat over ownership of a 5-acre plot in Dwarli village in Kalyan for several years.
Additionally, a separate FIR has been lodged against 40 BJP workers for violating prohibitory orders by assembling outside an Ulhasnagar court while the MLA was being produced and raising slogans. Gatherings in Ulhasnagar have been prohibited due to escalating tensions resulting from the shooting incident.
Mahesh Gaikwad’s condition remains critical but stable, said Thane guardian minister Shambhuraj Desai, who visited him in hospital.
Thane guardian minister Shambhuraj Desai told reporters that Sena activist Mahesh Gaikwad who was shot by BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad had undergone a surgery. “He is currently in the ICU and has been placed on a ventilator.”
He mentioned that Gaikwad was receiving proper medical care and treatment as advised by doctors, emphasising that the police are conducting a comprehensive investigation. According to police sources, the altercation between Ganpat and Mahesh occurred when the latter was approached by Madhumati Jadhav's family for assistance in a land dispute. Allegedly, Mahesh and his supporters vandalized the plot in question. This act prompted Ganpat’s son, Vaibhav, to approach Hill Line police to lodge an FIR, which subsequently led to the firing in the senior inspector’s cabin in the Ulhasnagar police station.
