Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Shankar Mandekar’s brother, Kailas Mandekar, and two others were arrested by the Pune Rural Police on Thursday on the charge of firing in the air during a folk dance performance at Ambika Lok Kala Kendra near Yavat in Daund taluka.
The incident took place late Monday (July 21) at the Ambika Lok Kala Kendra, where traditional lavani and tamasha performances are held.
According to a police official, Kailas alias Balasaheb Mandekar, Ganpat Jagtap, Chandrakant Marne and Raghunath Avad were booked in the case.
Mandekar is the younger brother of Shankar Mandekar, who currently represents the Bhor Assembly constituency in Pune and belongs to the Ajit Pawar-led NCP. He is accused of firing in the air during the dance performance at the Lok Kala Kendra, the official said.
"We have arrested three persons — Kailas Mandekar, Ganpat Jagtap, and Raghunath Avad — under Section 125 (endangering human life or the personal safety of others) and relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). We have also recovered the weapon and a vehicle from the accused," he said.
According to the police, while a dance performance was underway, Mandekar allegedly fired a shot in the air around 10:30 p.m. while dancing, after which he and his friends left the venue.
The official said that no one was harmed in the incident.
Attempt to suppress the case?
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar on Wednesday said that an attempt was made to suppress the case.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, "In Daund, at an arts centre, the brother of a ruling MLA from Pune district opened fire and created a ruckus, with reports indicating that a young woman was injured in the incident. Instead of identifying who these individuals firing recklessly are, information suggests that the police, under pressure from the ruling powers, are attempting to suppress the case. Will action be taken against the culprits? Or will they be let off because they are from the ruling party? What kind of 'spectacle of power' is this?"
Brother does not have any arms license
On Thursday, speaking to reporters, MLA Shankar Mandekar admitted that his brother was involved in the incident and said that if he was guilty, necessary action should be taken against him.
He said, "Yesterday afternoon I got a call from the police officers. I clearly told them to take proper action as per the law. If something wrong has happened, I will not interfere — then it will be okay even if it is my brother," he said.
The MLA claimed that his brother does not have any arms licence and was not possessing any firearm.
"The firearm belongs to Ganpat Jagtap, and he possesses a valid licence," he said.
