Maharashtra BJP legislator Ganpat Gaikwad has alleged that he fired at an ally Shiv Sena leader in self-defence and he has “no regrets” since they were beating his son inside the police station. He has been arrested.

Mahesh Gaikwad, who belongs to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction, and another supporter were injured in the firing after an argument over a land dispute. The incident occurred last night in Ulhasnagar, which comes under Kalyan parliamentary segment.

“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,” he told a news channel.

Ganpat Gaikwad, whose party is in alliance with Mr Shinde’s Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, also came down heavily on the Chief Minister and said he is “trying to create a kingdom of criminals in Maharashtra”.

“Shinde saheb betrayed Uddhav (Thackeray) saheb, he will also betray BJP. He owes me crores of rupees. Shinde should resign if Maharashtra is to be well-managed. This is my humble request to Devendra Fadnavis (Deputy Chief Minister) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” reports quoted him as saying.

The Kalyan East MLA was referring to the revolt by Mr Shinde that brought down the Thackeray government in 2022.

He also accused the Chief Minister’s son and MP Shrikant Shinde of putting up boards to grab credit for his works. “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.

The MLA said his son had gone to lodge a complaint at the police station, but the Sena leader’s men started manhandling him, which prompted him to shoot at them. He claimed he fired five rounds in the police station.

The land dispute at the centre of the incident pertains to a plot that the MLA had bought 10 years ago. He claimed there were some legal issues but he won the case in the court, after which Mahesh Gaikward occupied it by force.

The police said Ganpat Gaikwad and two others have been arrested under attempt to murder charges. The injured Sena leader remains critical and on ventilator.

The incident has provided the Uddhav Thackeray faction with fresh ammunition to target the Maharashtra government over law and order.

“A BJP MLA opened fire inside the police station and the person who was shot is close to the Chief Minister and a former corporator. Both their parties are in power, so should we understand that these people have no fear of the law? Both engines of the state government have failed,” said Uddhav faction spokesperson Anand Dubey.

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Dramatic CCTV footage from a police station near Mumbai not only shows a BJP MLA firing at a leader of party ally Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) and then attacking him and his associates with the butt of his gun, but also appears to significantly weaken his argument that the act was done in self-defence.

Ganpat Gaikwad, the BJP MLA from Kalyan East in Thane district, has been locked in a land dispute with Mahesh Gaikwad, the Kalyan chief of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction). According to the police, Ganpat Gaikwad’s son had gone to a police station in neighbouring Ulhasnagar on Friday to file a complaint in connection with the dispute when Mahesh Gaikwad arrived with his men. The BJP MLA also reached the police station a little later. 

A 2-minute video shows the BJP MLA sitting in the chamber of the senior police Inspector of Hill Line police station with four people initially, including Mahesh Gaikwad, and things appear to be calm – only to be revealed to be the lull before the storm. Ganpat Gaikwad can be seen talking to the four men when another man enters the room. He and another man leave the room a little later.

Discussions continue when Ganpati Gaikwad suddenly gets up, brandishes a gun, aims it at one of the three men and opens fire, triggering pandemonium. The three men rush to the door of the room but the BJP MLA fires again. 

When two of the men manage to get out and police officials enter the room, the BJP MLA hits the remaining man with the butt of his gun and continues to attack him even as police officials and others attempt to pull him off while preventing two other men from intervening. On the other end of the room, another man is seen assaulting an associate of one of the leaders.

The BJP MLA and two of his associates have been arrested and Mahesh Gaikwad and an aide are undergoing treatment after suffering gunshot wounds.

Speaking to a news channel after the shooting, Ganpat Gaikwad claimed that he had acted in self-defence because his son was being beaten up by associates of the Sena leader in front of the police. 

“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,” he told the channel.

The CCTV footage, however, appears to belie this claim. 

‘Will Betray BJP’

The BJP MLA also hit out at party ally and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, claiming he is “trying to create a kingdom of criminals in Maharashtra”.

“Shinde saheb betrayed Uddhav (Thackeray) saheb, he will also betray BJP. He owes me crores of rupees. Mr Shinde should resign if Maharashtra is to be well-managed. This is my humble request to Devendra Fadnavis (Deputy Chief Minister) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” reports quoted him as saying.

 “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 added.

The BJP MLA and his associates will be produced in a court in Ulhasngar on Saturday, where the police will seek their custody.

The opposition has demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Shinde, with the Congress claiming that there was a law-and-order breakdown in the state. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut also blamed Mr Shinde for the incident.

(With inputs from PTI)