Published: February 4, 2024 6:31 PM IST 
Maharashtra News: Ganpat Gaikwad, the Maharashtra BJP MLA accused of opening fire at a Shiv Sena leader inside a police station in Thane district, has now been booked under another case under SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly hurling casteist abuses at a woman.
According to the police, a complaint was filed against Gaikwad by a villager wherein she alleged that the saffron party leader, along with seven other people, subjected her to casteist abuse on January 31.
Based on the complaint, an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), was registered against the MLA and seven other accused, police said.
“On the complaint of a resident of Dwarli village on Saturday, Ganpat Gaikwad and seven others were charged under the Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” a Hill Line police station official said.
“A probe into the allegations of the woman, who is a land owner, is underway,” the station house officer of Hill Line police station said.
Gaikwad had pumped six bullets into Kalyan Shiv Sena leader Mahesh Gaikwad and also injured the latter’s associate Rahul Patil late Friday night inside the cabin of the Hill Line police station’s senior inspector.
The three-time Kalyan East MLA has been charged with attempt to murder and other offences in the case.
Gaikwad (56) admitted to opening fire, telling a news channel that he was provoked as his son was being beaten up in the presence of police during the incident that took place on Friday night.
The BJP leader and his two associates were produced before a magistrate on Saturday evening and sent to 14-day police remand.
The condition of the Sena leader is stated to be critical.
Meanwhile. the opposition latched on to the incident with Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray claiming that a “gang war” has broken out in the Maharashtra alliance government. Thackeray said Prime Minister Narendra Modi should understand that the state BJP unit has “weakened” due to the induction of leaders into it by breaking other parties.
Addressing a rally at Sawantwadi in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, Thackeray said the previous Shiv-Sena BJP government in the 1990s had broken the back of underworld gangs in Mumbai.
“But now, in the present government, a gang war has broken out. The third gang is neck deep in Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam and hence has no time to raise its head,” Thackeray alleged without naming any ally in the Eknath Shinde-led government.
PM Modi should understand that the state BJP unit has “weakened” due to the trend of breaking other parties and the induction of leaders into its fold, he claimed.
(With PTI inputs)
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