Maharashtra DGP says killing of two Shiv Sena leaders in Ahmednagar might be fallout of political rivalry

Thane: The killing of two Shiv Sena leaders in Ahmednagar over the weekend seems to be a fallout of political rivalry, Maharashtra Director General of Police Satish Mathur said on Tuesday. He maintained there was no political pressure on the police with regard to probing the case and asserted no mercy will be shown to those involved in the gruesome crime. [caption id=“attachment_4267989” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] Sena leaders Sanjay Kotkar (35) and Vasant Thube (40) were shot dead on Saturday in Kedgaon, Ahmednagar, by two motorcycle-borne assailants. The shooting in the Western Maharashtra district took place hours after the result of a civic bypoll was announced. Police have arrested Ahmednagar NCP MLA Sangram Jagtap and three others, including a suspected shooter, in connection with the crime. After the twin murders, a mob vandalised the office of the Ahmednagar superintendent of police (SP). “This (shooting) seems to be (an outcome of) political rivalry. Serious action has been taken. Those concerned have been arrested. We will not show any daya-maya (mercy) in dealing with this issue,” he told reporters in Thane. “We were informed that all of a sudden a mob of 2,000 came to the (SP) office (and vandalised it). The situation is now peaceful and under control,” Mathur said. The DGP was responding to questions on the Ahmednagar shooting and related incidents. “There is no question of political pressure in investigating the crime,” he said in response to a query. In a separate context, Mathur said taking action against big criminals will help increase public confidence in the police. “If you control crime, automatically public will come forward (to help the police). If you teach a lesson to big criminals, ordinary citizens will have more faith in the police,” he said. Mathur said social media has changed the way people communicate. “Medium of dissemination of information has changed. Social media has become fashionable. Even husband and wife interact on social media. Citizens are busy on social media and seldom come to the police,” he said.