Tiger Shroff firing case: Raut slams Fadnavis govt over law and order; says regime change needed

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Monday raised the "regime change" slogan of the Opposition while slamming Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who handles the Home portfolio, over what he claimed was a spate of shootings, murders, extortion and kidnappings in the state.

His comments came a day after two persons fired at actor Tiger Shroff, who escaped unhurt, while two others sustained injuries.

"People are being murdered every day in Maharashtra. We are questioning the government about these incidents, and that is why we are demanding regime change. Instead of answering questions about the present, the Chief Minister asks us to talk about murders that took place 35, 40 or 50 years ago. He should answer for what is happening in the state today," Raut told reporters here.


Read more: Who tried to kill Tiger Shroff? Lawrence Bishnoi gang claims responsibility of gunfire on Bollywood actor

Baba Siddique was murdered, shootings are taking place repeatedly, and industrialists are being kidnapped, Raut said, adding that Fadnavis, as state Home minister, must take responsibility for the state's law and order situation.

Referring to the Tiger Shroff firing incident and the killing of a Shiv Sena worker, Raut asked what was the government's response.

"The state Home department is being used to target and jail political opponents, while criminal gangs are allowed to operate freely. Our demand for regime change continues. This situation cannot continue. The present regime must be removed," the Rajya Sabha MP said.

Raut further said the present dispensation was not "a government of the people but one dependent on (Chief Election Commissioner) Gyanesh Kumar".

Read more: Tiger Shroff firing: Assailants, their handlers would be traced, won't be spared, says CM Fadnavis

"Our fight is against this mafia system. The situation in Maharashtra has reached a stage where people are afraid to step out, as nobody knows when or where a shooting might take place. The government must answer for this failure," Raut said.

Raut also questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah's role in tackling organised crime.

He said Fadnavis was avoiding questions about the current law and order situation by referring to incidents from the past like the murder of Mansukh Hiran.

Raut also criticised Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for visiting Tiger Shroff after the firing incident but not the family of Shiv Sena (UBT) worker Pradeep Purnekar, who was gunned down in Thane last month.

Despite being the guardian minister of Thane, Shinde is yet to visit the Purnekar household, nor has he directed police to take action against the accused, Raut pointed out.

Senior Congress leader and former state chief minister Prithviraj Chavan also hit out at the Fadnavis government.

"Maharashtra does not need a reign of terror; it needs the rule of law!" he said while criticising the government over the attacks on Tiger Shroff in Mumbai and businessman Rana Suryavanshi in Baramati in Pune district.

The two incidents, which took place on the same day on Sunday, reflected the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, Chavan said in a post on X.

Information has emerged that the attack on Shroff was linked to the Bishnoi gang, he said. The firing incident in Baramati raises questions about the safety of ordinary citizens, the Congress leader noted.

"Criminals have guns in their hands, while the government has only assurances," he said, questioning the functioning of the state Home Department.

Chavan alleged that criminals no longer feared the law and that people were increasingly feeling insecure.

"Maharashtra does not need a reign of terror; it needs the rule of law!" he stated.

Chavan demanded the immediate arrest of the attackers, identification of the masterminds behind the incidents and concrete steps by the government to ensure citizens' safety.