Mumbai: In what comes as an embarrassment to Uddhav Thackeray, the Mahayuti government in Maharashtra on Friday set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into an alleged incident of a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader from Nashik, Sudhakar Badgujar, partying with Salim Kutta, a 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict and a member of the crime syndicate run by Dawood Ibrahim.
Badgujar is Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Nashik City chief and a businessman.
Salim Mira Shaikh alias Salim Kutta was convicted by a special TADA court in connection with the March 12, 1993 serial blasts case and awarded lifetime imprisonment and since then has been lodged in the Nashik Central Jail.
The issue was raised by BJP MLAs - Ashish Shelar and Nitesh Rane and Shiv Sena MLA Dada Bhuse, who is a minister in the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government.
Rane alleged that Kutta is a convict in the serial blasts case. “The incident not only shook Mumbai but also the entire country. When this convict Kutta was out on parole, he was seen partying…and with whom…the Nashik head of the Shiv Sena (UBT) Sudhakar Badgujar,” said Rane.
“It is a serious issue…a party with an anti-national,” said Bhuse.
“Over the last few years the ‘peg, penguin, party’ culture has increased particularly when Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power,” added Shelar.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the allegations are serious.
“A detailed investigation will be done by the SIT and it will also be investigated if there were anyone’s blessings for such acts and strict action will be taken…this would be a time-bound probe,” said Fadnavis, who is also the state Home Minister.
Published 15 December 2023, 12:47 IST