Sena UBT Leader Partied With ’93 Blasts Convict from D-Gang: Rane | Fadnavis Orders SIT Probe

Maharashtra Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis has initiated a special investigation team (SIT) probe to look into Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Nitesh Rane’s allegations that a Shiv Sena (UBT) leader from Nashik, Sudhakar Badgujar, hosted a party for Salim Kutta, a member of the Dawood gang convicted for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. Badgujar has refuted the allegations, while Sena UBT leader Sunil Shinde called the claims “baseless and politically motivated”.

Rane, who represents the Konkan region in the Assembly, on Friday produced photographs of a party, which he alleged was hosted by Badgujar for Salim, who was sentenced to life imprisonment and was out on parole. News18 has not independently verified the authenticity of the pictures.

Rane raised this issue under the Point of Information during the proceedings of the lower house of the Assembly. While speaking in the Assembly, Rane said, “Accused Salim Kutta, who has been given life imprisonment, was out on parole. On the last day of his parole, he was seen partying with Badgujar. This is a very serious issue and should be investigated thoroughly.”

Badgujar told reporters that the video that Rane claimed to have could be a morphed one. “I never had any links with Salim Kutta. The allegations have been levelled with political motives. I did not have any links with him, nor do I have any at present. If we met in public life at some point, I do not remember it…Guardian minister (for Nashik) Dada Bhuse did not obtain correct information before levelling allegations against me. In 2016, a rally was taken out to demand a separate state of Vidarbha, and Shiv Sena workers protested against it. As a result, cases were filed against party workers. A case was also filed against me and I was in jail for 14 days…The (1993) bomb blasts convicts were also in the (same) jail, but we were unaware of it…. Salim Kutta must have been a prisoner there…”

Ordering an SIT probe, Fadnavis said that inquiry will be completed in a time-bound manner. The SIT will also try to investigate who all attended the party and their links to Salim.

Badgujar is the Nashik City head of Shiv Sena UBT. “The names of those who attended this party will be out once the SIT conducts its probe,” Rane told News18.

Sunil Shinde said, “How can we believe these allegations, when we have seen cases of deep fakes in recent times? Even the PM has raised concerns over video morphing. How can we believe such videos and photos? We have seen many cases where people have clicked photos with leaders and later others have alleged a link. Badgujar is a good leader and works very hard in Nashik for the party. The allegations against him are baseless and politically motivated.”

Congress leader Bhai Jagtap said, “With the help of technology, photographs can easily be morphed. Many such cases have come to the fore. How can one believe these allegations? We have seen that they level allegations against leaders, and once those leaders join their party, they give them a clean chit. Rane’s allegation looks politically motivated, to put pressure on Badgujar.”

Meanwhile, BJP MLA from Mumbai Ashish Shelar, too, raised the issue of the Mahadev app and alleged links between the app owners and gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Shelar also alleged that the money won from the app was used for infrastructure projects in Mumbai’s neighbouring Bhayander.

With PTI Inputs