Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on February 5 posted on social media a photograph in which Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's son and MP Shrikant Shinde is seen being greeted by a man facing murder charges and currently out on bail.
Mr. Raut's post on X comes three days after an MLA of the ruling BJP allegedly fired at a local Shiv Sena leader (of CM Shinde camp) inside a police station in Thane district. On February 4, many people went to greet Shrikant Shinde on his birthday.
One of the visitors was Hemant Dabhekar, a resident of Pune and one of the accused in the case of murder of Kishor Marne, who was one of the key members of the Marne gang. Dabhekar is said to be a part of Sharad Mohol gang.
Mr. Raut in a post on X shared the photograph of Hemant Dabhekar greeting Shrikant Shinde, the Lok Sabha member from Kalyan, and tagged it to CM Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds charge of the Home Department, and the Pune police.
Without naming Dabhekar in the post, the Rajya Sabha member said, "Home Minister Devendraji, Maharashtra is ruled by goons. The ruling party's MLA opens fire in a police station. Why did the goons become so powerful? Who is responsible for this?" Mr. Raut encircled Dabhekar's face in the photograph as he was seen greeting Shrikant Shinde.
"Yesterday, the prince celebrated his birthday. Find out who is the encircled person in this image? Then it will be revealed that who is feeding the goons," he said in the post. "With government's blessings, the goons are free in the State," the Sena (UBT) leader claimed.
After a controversy over the photograph, Yuva Sena functionary Aniket Jawalkar was on Monday removed from the post of its western Maharashtra observer, without any reason being assigned for it.
