Mumbai, June 25 (IANS) In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing political warfare within the Shiv Sena factions, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut, in a letter to Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, has demanded the immediate arrest of rebel MP Sanjay Dina Patil under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). 

The letter, dated June 24, follows a series of explosive remarks allegedly made by Patil after he and five other MPs defected to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction. Raut uploaded the letter a little while ago.

Raut drew the Police Commissioner’s attention to public backlash across Maharashtra following the defection of the six Lok Sabha MPs. While maintaining that peaceful protest is a constitutional right, he alleged that North-East Mumbai MP Sanjay Dina Patil has resorted to issuing graphic death threats against protesters and political rivals.

Raut explicitly cited two alarming statements purportedly made by Patil. He mentioned in the letter, “Patil reportedly stated, ‘I have killed 5 people before’.”

The Shiv Sena(UBT) leader, in his letter, urged the police to treat this as a “self-confessed admission of guilt”, demanding an immediate investigation into who these five individuals were and asking the authorities to register a murder case.

In another statement, Patil allegedly warned, “If anyone protests against me, I will throw a bomb at them. I will enter their homes and kill them,” claimed Raut in his letter.

Expressing profound concern over the mention of explosives by a sitting lawmaker, Raut wrote that a bomb threat of this magnitude constitutes a direct challenge to national security. “If he (Sanjay Patil) has manufactured these bombs at home, his residence must be raided immediately with the help of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). If he obtained these explosives from a terrorist outfit, it is a grave national security concern, and he must be immediately arrested under the UAPA for involvement in anti-national acts,” he stated.

Raut warned that if the Mumbai Police fail to take swift action against Patil, he will be forced to approach the court in the interest of public safety. He added that the rebel leader would be held entirely responsible if any political worker is attacked or killed in the volatile atmosphere generated by these statements.

The Rajya Sabha member’s demand follows days of intense mudslinging between the two factions. A massive political split — termed ‘Operation Tiger’ — saw six out of nine Shiv Sena(UBT) Lok Sabha members cross over to the ruling coalition on June 22. While Patil previously claimed that he faced unfair treatment and isolation within the Uddhav Thackeray camp, Raut countered by alleging that the rebel MPs defected in exchange for massive monetary kickbacks.

The verbal hostility has now officially reached law enforcement, with both sides trading severe allegations of physical violence and criminal intimidation. The Mumbai Police have yet to release an official response regarding the course of action they intend to take following Raut’s letter.

–IANS

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