CCTV footage shows attack on Shiv Sena by BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad and Mahesh Gaikwad

The BJP MLA and two other accused are going to be presented before a court in Ulhasnagar. Ganpat Gaikwad, the BJP MLA from Kalyan East in Thane district, has been involved 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 regarding the dispute when Mahesh Gaikwad arrived with his men. The BJP MLA also arrived at the police station a short while later.

A 2-minute video shows the BJP MLA seated 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 – but this was just the calm before the storm. Ganpat Gaikwad can be seen conversing with the four men when another man enters the room.

He and another man leave the room a little later. Discussions carry on, but suddenly, Ganpati Gaikwad gets up, brandishes a gun, aims it at one of the three men, and opens fire, causing chaos.

The three men rush to the door of the room, but the BJP MLA fires again. As two of the men manage to escape and police officials enter the room, the BJP MLA hits the remaining man with the butt of his gun and continues the attack as police officials and others try to pull him off while preventing two other men from intervening.

Meanwhile, another man is seen assaulting an associate of one of the leaders at the other end of the room. The BJP MLA and two of his associates have been arrested, and Mahesh Gaikwad and an aide are receiving 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.

However, the CCTV footage appears to contradict this claim. Reports quoted him as saying, “Shinde *saheb* betrayed Uddhav (Thackeray) *saheb*, he will also betray BJP.

He owes me crores of rupees. This is my humble request to Devendra Fadnavis (Deputy Chief Minister) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

“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 presented in a court in Ulhasnagar on Saturday, where the police will request their custody. Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut also blamed Mr Shinde for the incident.

*(With inputs from PTI)*