Shiv Sena leader shot: Eyewitness mistook gunshots for short circuit

An eyewitness in the Thane shooting of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar said she mistook two gunshots for a short circuit. She saw 4-5 people fleeing his office. Purnekar's family has refused to perform last rites until arrests are made.

An eyewitness to the shooting of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar in Thane’s Manpada-Ganesh Nagar area recalled the horrifying moments after the attack, saying she heard two loud thuds and initially mistook them for a short circuit before seeing four to five people fleeing from Purnekar’s office.

Speaking to ANI, eyewitness Renu Prajapati said she was stitching blouses at her shop located next to Purnekar’s office when she heard the sounds. “Next to Dada's office is my shop, so I was stitching blouses, at that time I heard loud thud sound twice, so I felt that a short circuit had happened,” Prajapati said.

She said she opened the gate of her shop and looked towards the place from where the sounds had come. “So I opened my gate, removed the counter, and saw above where the sound came from, where the short circuit was happening. So I saw that 4 to 5 people came out from Dada's office,” she said.

Believing that a short circuit had occurred, Prajapati said she immediately called her daughter, who was doing her homework, and took her outside. “I was calling my daughter, ‘Beta run away, run away outside.’ My daughter was doing her homework. So I thought a short circuit had happened, for this everyone is running away, going out,” she said.

Prajapati said she later noticed a person handling what appeared to be a knife and, fearing for her safety, ran away with her daughter. “Then I took my daughter and ran away from there, took my daughter and ran forward, till then those people went away sitting on a motorcycle, activa,” she said.

She recalled that she initially did not realise the gravity of the incident until she heard people shouting “Balu dada”.

“Then when I looked down, my attention... this attention went, so I am seeing whole blood is poured,” Prajapati said, describing how she became dizzy and began trembling after seeing the blood.

She said she could not clearly see Purnekar or the person who was helping him after the incident. “I did not see Balu dada, and who was the person lifting him, that also I did not see,” she said. Recalling Purnekar, Prajapati said, “He was very good, he was very good.”

Investigation and Family's Reaction

Purnekar, a local Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Thane’s Manpada area on Tuesday night. Police have launched an investigation to identify the attackers and ascertain the motive behind the killing.

Family Demands Justice

Meanwhile, Purnekar’s brother Jainath demanded justice and said the family would not perform the last rites until the accused were arrested. “The last rites will be performed when the culprits are caught. Until they are caught, we will not,” Jainath told ANI.

Police Probe Underway

Police are examining CCTV footage and questioning people as part of the investigation. Multiple police teams have been deployed to identify the assailants and establish the circumstances surrounding the killing. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)