Nagpur, June 25 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday took a firm stand against the alleged intimidating statements made by the rebel Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Sanjay Patil, who joined the Shinde faction recently, over bomb threat and murder claims.

Reacting swiftly to Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Sanjay Raut’s letter to the Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti demanding Patil’s arrest under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) over bomb threat and murder claims, CM Fadnavis dismissed the panic while promising strict police vigilance.

“We will not allow anyone’s house to be blown up with a bomb, and no one needs to be scared of such hollow threats. If someone is issuing threats, the police are highly capable and will give them a fitting reply,” CM Fadnavis told reporters, signalling that the law-and-order machinery is fully alert.

He reiterated that the police will take appropriate and strict legal action while directly reprimanding the controversial rhetoric by Patil.

The CM’s response comes after Raut, in his letter, emphasised that citizens have a constitutional right to protest and demand answers from their elected representatives. He claimed that the six defected MPs are facing immense public backlash across the state, and that Patil’s alleged threats — which reportedly included claims of “sending protesters to the cemetery” and “throwing bombs” — warranted an immediate investigation.

Raut levelled severe allegations against Sanjay Dina Patil and claimed that voters in Mumbai North East have been protesting on the streets against Patil for “betraying their mandate” by switching factions.

According to Raut, instead of answering citizens, Patil resorted to terrifying death threats. Raut alleged that Patil openly threatened protesters by saying, “Do not mess with me. Before protesting against me, make sure you get life insurance because I will send you straight to the cemetery or the hospital. I have already killed five people in the past. If anyone protests against me, I will throw a bomb at them or storm into their houses to kill them.”

Highlighting these alleged statements, Raut demanded that the Mumbai Police immediately register a murder case against Patil based on his “own confession of killing five people”.

Furthermore, the Rajya Sabha MP requested a comprehensive anti-terror raid at Patil’s residence. “The threat of using bombs from a sitting Member of Parliament is deeply alarming. If these bombs are being manufactured inside his house, a swift search must be conducted with the help of the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS). This is a grave matter of national security, and he must be arrested under the UAPA,” Raut wrote in his letter.

Incidentally, the bitter face-off has turned the Mumbai North East region into a political powder keg, as workers from both the Thackeray and Shinde factions continue to clash on the ground, amplifying the ongoing civil and political unrest.

–IANS

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