NCP MLA among 4 held for Sena leaders' murder

NASHIK: The Ahmednagar police has booked 26 persons and arrested four men, including a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA early on Sunday following the double murders of Shiv Sena leaders Sanjay Keshav Kotkar (52) and Vasant Anand Thube (36) on Saturday evening.

The duo was shot and hacked by choppers in the busy Suvarnanagar Chowk on Satur-day evening.  

The city was tense following the murders and a bandh was observed on Sunday.

NCP MLA Sangram Arun Jagtap, Balasaheb Kotkar, Sandip Gunjal and Bhanudas Kotkar were arrested and remanded to police custody till April 12.

22 followers of MLA Jagtap, who allegedly vandalised the office of the superintendent of police when the NCP MLA was summoned for questioning, were also remanded to police custody till April 10

The deceased, Kotkar and Thube from Khedgaon were on a bike they were attacked by six persons. Kotkar, who was driving the bike was gunned down, while Thube was struck with choppers. While Kotkar lay dead, Thube tried to flee but was caught and hacked to death. After the murders, the assailants fled the spot, police said.

According to the police, the murders were committed over disputes related to the municipal elections.

In the byelections for the Ahmednagar municipal corporation, Vishal Kotkar of the Congress defeated Vijay Pathare of the Shiv Sena. The rumours doing the rounds were that murders were due to the election result.

 After the news of the murder spread, Sainiks converged at Suvarnan-agar Chowk and began pelting stones and also staged a road blockade on Ahmednagar-Pune Road on Saturday night.

In a press release, the Ahmednagar police said that according to a complaint by Kotkar’s son, the murder was allegedly part of a conspiracy involving 30-odd persons, including Jagtap and two other MLAs.

Environment minister Ramdas Kadam, who spoke to media on Sunday, said that he would be meeting chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday.

He said that he had directed the police not to leave any loopholes in their investigation and demanded the suspension of a deputy superintendent of police and a police inspector for allegedly helping the NCP and Congress.