Sena (UBT)'s Pradeep Purnekar shot dead in Mumbai

Mumbai witnessed the tragic assassination of Pradeep Purnekar, a senior figure in the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena (UBT), on Tuesday evening. The 53-year-old divisional head was shot dead by armed men who entered his office premises around 9 pm. Purnekar, who lost the recent polls by a narrow margin, was targeted by masked assailants believed to be in cahoots with the Shiv Sena (Shinde) faction.

Purnekar's family and UBT members have accused former Thane mayor Meenakshi Shinde and her husband Rajendra Shinde from the Shinde faction of masterminding his murder. The assailants opened fire on the victim twice before fleeing the scene. Despite being rushed to a nearby hospital, Purnekar succumbed to his injuries shortly after.

The UBT has accused the Shiv Sena (Shinde) of collapsing law and order in the state, following Purnekar's demise. Sena leader Sanjay Raut alleged that the victim had been involved in a conflict with the Shinde faction and was opposing drug running, which led to his untimely death. The police have arrested a few suspects, but the incident marks yet another loss of a political leader in the state over the past decade.

High-profile killings have become increasingly common in Maharashtra, with former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique and Abhishek Ghosalkar, a former Shiv Sena (UBT) corporator, among the recent victims. In 2024 alone, Vanraj Andekar, a politician turned gangster, and Mahesh Gaikwad, a Sena (Shinde) leader, were also assassinated. The latest tragedy adds to the growing list of political killings that have shaken the state in recent years.