Whiff of political rivalry in Vangani Congress leader’s murder

The forthcoming elections of Vangani grampanchayat, near Kalyan, are already showing ominous portents. In the early hours of Thursday, a Congress leader was murdered. Police suspect political rivalry behind the incident, but till now no arrests have been made in connection with the murder.

The deceased, Ravindra Patil, a professor at reputed Chandibai Himathmal Mansukhani College in Ulhasnagar, had recently quit the Shiv Sena and joined Indian National Congress. According to the Badlapur police, the incident took place at 1am when Patil was coming back from a meeting related to the forthcoming grampanchayat elections, which took place at the residence of local Congress leader Narendra Shelar.

A red coloured Hyundai I-20 car arrived there and three men got into an altercation with Patil. Later, one of them fired at Patil while the others attacked him with swords. The bullets hit Patil in head, due to which he died on the spot.

The attackers then drove away. However, the police officers found their vehicle at Ambeshiv, near Vangani. Meanwhile, a strike was observed in Vangani on Thursday as a mark of protest.

Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) corporator Arun Raut was shot at near Dolari petrol pump at Vanjara Phata by unidentified gunmen on Tuesday.