Uddhav Thackeray group leader shot dead during Facebook Live; attacker kills self

PTI, Feb 9, 2024, 8:35 AM IST

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek Ghosalkar was shot dead here on Thursday evening during a `Facebook Live’ by a local `social activist’ who also ended his own life, police said.

A viral video of the incident, which took place at assailant Mauris Noronha’s office in IC Colony in the northern suburb of Borivali (West), showed Ghosalkar being shot in the abdomen and shoulder. The attack, which streamed live on Facebook, came days after Maharashtra witnessed CCTV footage of a BJP MLA opening fire inside a police station in neighbouring Thane district and raised questions about the law and order situation.

Abhishek (40), son of former MLA Vinod Ghosalkar, a loyalist of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, was also a former corporator.

The video showed Ghosalkar being shot in the abdomen and shoulder as he was live on Facebook with Noronha, a local activist. Sounds of three more shots are also heard in the clip.

A senior police official told PTI that Ghosalkar was hit by four bullets. Noronha, who used an illegal pistol for the crime, then shot himself once, he added. Ghosalkar and Noronha had “personal enmity” but the Facebook live was arranged to clarify that they had come together ending their bitterness for the betterment of the IC Colony area, another police official said.

The incident took place days after a BJP MLA was caught on camera firing at an Eknath Shinde faction leader inside a police station at Ulhasnagar.

Chief Minister Shinde said a probe was being launched into the latest firing incident.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut alleged in a post on X that Shinde had met Noronha at the chief minister’s official residence `Varsha’ here four days ago, and had invited him to join the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Raut also demanded that deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis should resign.

Former minister Aaditya Thackeray, who said he had met Abhishek Ghosalkar earlier in the evening, claimed there was no longer any fear of law in Maharashtra. “There is total collapse of law and order in Maharashtra, as evident from this and similar recent shooting incidents,” he added. Workers of the Thackeray-led Sena gathered in large numbers outside Karuna Hospital in north Mumbai where Abhishek Ghosalkar was taken.

Police had deployed a large force in the area around Noronha’s office.

Senior officials were on the spot and `panchnama’ (spot inspection) process was underway, an official said.