Pune: Shiv Sena UBT Targets 'Sant Eknath', 'Deva Bhau' Over Maharashtra's Law & Order After Baba Siddique's Murder

Shiv Sena (UBT) has targeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the home minister, over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state after NCP leader Baba Siddique's murder.

The Pune unit of the party has put up a banner in the city highlighting the recent incidents of sexual assaults on girls and women, the murder of former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator Abhishek Ghosalkar and the killing of senior politician Baba Siddique. The banner names Eknath Shinde as "Sant Eknath" and Devendra Fadnavis as "Deva Bhau" and states that they haven't been able to maintain law and order in the state. "The people of the state should remain safe on their own accord," it further read.

A picture of the banner was posted on the party's X (formerly Twitter) handle on Sunday evening.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police have arrested a 28-year-old man from Pune who along with his brother "enlisted" two of the three alleged shooters to murder Siddique, an official said. Police called the man, Pravin Lonkar, a "co-conspirator" and said they were on the lookout for his brother Shubham. This is the third arrest in the case of Siddique's murder.

Siddique (66) was waylaid by three persons at Kher Nagar in Mumbai's Bandra area just outside his MLA son Zeeshan Siddique's office and shot at on Saturday night. He was rushed to the Lilavati Hospital where he was declared dead, according to Mumbai Police.

A crime branch official on Sunday said Pravin and Shubham "enlisted" two alleged shooters - UP resident Dharmaraj Rajesh Kashyap and Shivkumar Gautam. While Gautam is on the run, police have arrested Kashyap and another alleged shooter, identified as Gurmail Baljit Singh (23), a native of Haryana