Overview
- The leader, Pradeep Purnekar, was shot and assaulted outside his Manpada party office on Tuesday night and died during treatment at a nearby hospital.
- Police have registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Arms Act, seized CCTV, set up checkpoints across Thane and dispatched multiple teams to trace suspects.
- Authorities have detained or arrested two key suspects and say a manhunt continues for three to four more people named in the complaint.
- Purnekar’s family and senior Shiv Sena (UBT) figures have publicly alleged involvement by former Thane mayor Meenakshi Shinde and her husband, protests have followed, and the family at times refused to perform last rites until key arrests are made.
- The killing has sharpened long‑running factional tensions in Thane since the 2022 Shiv Sena split and raises pressure on the state Home department and local police to produce swift, verifiable results as the investigation continues.