Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has assured Ram Purnekar that there will be no injustice in the investigation into the killing of his father, Pradeep Purnekar, a Shiv Sena (UBT) ward chief in Manpada, Thane. Ram met Fadnavis in Thane on Friday and submitted a memorandum seeking justice in the case.
“There will be no injustice to your father. I am behind you,” Fadnavis told Ram Purnekar during the meeting, according to the report. The chief minister was in the city to attend Navratri festivities when the interaction took place.
The meeting comes as the Thane Police investigation into the killing continues. Pradeep Purnekar was killed on September 29 in an attack in Thane. According to the police account cited in the report, the assailants fired around six rounds, with two bullets hitting Purnekar. The attackers also assaulted him with a chopper after opening fire.
Purnekar served as the Shiv Sena (UBT) ward chief in Manpada. His killing triggered concern among party workers and led to demands for the arrest of those responsible. Police registered a case and began investigating the circumstances of the attack and the roles of those involved.
Five people have been arrested in connection with the murder, according to reports published earlier this month. Two of the suspects, Santosh Kanojia, also known as Talli, and Amit Singh, also known as Paplu, were arrested in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on October 9. The arrests were made in a joint operation involving the Thane Police and the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force.
The two suspects were subsequently brought to Thane for further investigation. Their arrests took the total number of people held in the case to five, according to the report.
Several political leaders were present during Ram Purnekar’s meeting with the chief minister, including BJP Thane district chief Sandeep Lele, MLA Sanjay Kelkar, MLC Niranjan Davkhare and Deputy Mayor Krishna Patil. The memorandum submitted by Purnekar sought justice for his father while investigators continued to examine the attack.
The police investigation remains central to establishing the circumstances of the killing and determining the responsibility of the accused. Fadnavis’s assurance came as the family sought continued action in the case, while the arrested suspects remain part of the ongoing investigation.
