Ulhasnagar Firing: Court sends accused BJP MLA to police custody until Feb 14

The next hearing is scheduled to be held on February 14.

Advocate Rahul Arora, defence counsel, told ANI, "The court has sent accused Ganpat Gaikwad to police custody until February 14. The investigation is at a preliminary stage."

Earlier today, the police arrested BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad and two of his associates in the Ulhasnagar firing incident.

According to the information received from the police, Vaibhav Gaikwad and his father Ganapat Gaikwad, reached the Hill Line police station along with their workers between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. on Friday to file a complaint in connection with a land dispute.

Following this, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction) leaders Mahesh Gaikwad, Rahul Patil, and Chainu Jadhav also arrived with their workers to lodge a complaint in connection with the same land, police said.

The supporters of both the BJP and Sena workers were arguing and sloganeering with each other outside the police station.

During this, Mahesh Gaikwad, Rahul Patil, and Chainu Jadhav came inside and sat at the cabin of senior officer Anil Jagtap of Hill Line Police Station. After a while, BJP MLA Ganpat Gaikwad also came and sat in the cabin of senior police officer Jagtap.

Meanwhile, workers from both sides started shouting at the premises outside the police station. When Senior Police Inspector Anil Jagtap came out of his cabin to handle the situation, MLA Ganpat Gaikwad, sitting in the cabin, suddenly fired at Mahesh Gaikwad and Rahul Patil at their chests and seriously injured them.

Mahesh Gaikwad and Rahul Patil, who were critically injured in the firing incident, have been admitted to the Jupiter Hospital in Thane for treatment, police said.

"Going by what has been found here, there was no question of (firing in) self-defence. The injured were sitting and watching the CCTV screen. There was no argument or provocation. But he (Ganpat Gaikwad) aimed and shot them," Thane Additional CP Datta Shinde said.

"A total of ten rounds were fired in the Ulhasnagar incident. Six bullets were taken out of Mahesh Gaikwad's body by the doctors," the Additional CP said.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadanavis have ordered a high-level inquiry into the police station firing incident. A Crime Branch Special Investigation Team (SIT) has also been formed to investigate the incident. (ANI)