Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday alleged that Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is desperate to safeguard former Thane Mayor Meenakshi Shinde from the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar murder case.

The Sena (UBT) leaders alleged that the police have merely arrested the contract killers and that until Meenakshi and Rajendra Shinde are arrested, the true conspiracy will never come out.

“We demand that the main accused and conspirator should be arrested at the earliest. We have no idea why she is being protected…when we met the police commissioner, we sensed that the policemen are convinced about who the main accused is,” said Thackeray, addressing a press conference in Thane.

Thackeray, along with Purnekar’s son Ram, Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders from Thane, held a press conference after holding a meeting with the Thane police commissioner.

Earlier, Thackeray visited the house of Purnekar to meet the wife of the dead leader.

Thackeray said that despite giving the evidence of CCTV footage, arrests have not been made.

“What and why are you waiting for?” Thackeray asked. “This is a political murder of which CCTV footage is available. Why are the main conspirator and masterminds not being arrested? Why is Eknath Shinde so desperate to safeguard the accused and conspirator?” he asked.

Thackeray criticised deputy CM and Thane’s guardian minister Eknath Shinde for detaining Ram Purnekar, who had gone to meet the latter demanding action in his father’s murder.

“We had come to Thane only to meet the Purnekar family and the police commissioner. But the local MP used abusive language and made a childish attempt to threaten us. Instead of facing us, they (Shinde-led Sena leaders) protested somewhere else and did not face us,” said Thackeray.

He also slammed Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis for failing to deliver justice to the Purnekar family.

“The Home Minister is busy breaking parties, cutting trees and selling Sahyadri mountain ranges instead of stopping all these things,” he said.

Targeting CM Fadnavis, Shiv Sena UBT MP Sanjay Raut said that Maharashtra never had such a weak home minister.

“I want to tell those who challenged us to come to Thane that we not only came here, but we are ready to wait till we face you. Don’t boast because you are in power. It is not permanent. Meenakshi and Rajendra Shinde are the main accused in this case, and people are coming out of the streets to safeguard killers,” he said, adding that police will have to arrest both of them.

The Delhi Police on Thursday lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown persons in connection with an incident involving vandalism and damage to property at the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI), officials said.

According to the police, the case has been registered at Jamia Nagar Police Station, on the complaint of the varsity administration.

This is the second FIR registered in connection with the ongoing students’ protests at the university in recent days.

Earlier, the Delhi Police had registered an FIR at the Jamia Nagar police station against Congress MPs Imran Pratapgarhi and Imran Masood, as well as Samajwadi Party MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, following a complaint by Jamia Millia Islamia registrar Md. Mahtab Alam Rizvi.

Rizvi had alleged that the Congress MPs entered the campus without authorisation on separate occasions, amid the ongoing agitation.

Students of the university have been staging a hunger strike since October 12 demanding the restoration of the Jamia Millia Islamia Students’ Union (JMISU) and the removal of the University’s Chief Proctor over a “crackdown” on protesters.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the university expressed deep shock, disappointment, and concern regarding the incidents that took place on Tuesday night, which involved vandalism and damage to university property.

The varsity said that upon receiving reports of attacks on the campus, the proctorial team and JMI faculty members immediately arrived on the spot.

“They discovered that groups of protesting students and local residents had vandalised University gates and walls, brought down Gate No. 4C, pelted stones, and damaged the CCTV control room and cameras, while also severing their connections. It is reported that a group of masked protesters even reached the University’s boys’ hostel in an attempt to mobilise more individuals to join them,” the JMI said in a statement.

According to the University, viral social media videos posted by the protesting students themselves show extensive damage inflicted upon JMI property.

“This has left the university community deeply distressed and outraged,” it said.

“Most concerning is the fact that the vandalism began shortly after members of the protesting student committee had been in discussions with JMI faculty (this marked the seventh such attempt at dialogue initiated by the university administration),” the University said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday carried out searches at multiple locations in Pune in connection with an alleged bank fraud case involving M/s Aaj Ka Anand Papers Pvt Ltd, an official statement said.

The agency recently registered a case against the company, its directors and unknown public servants based on a complaint filed by the State Bank of India (SBI), Mumbai.

The complaint alleges criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust, and manipulation of accounts, resulting in a wrongful loss of Rs 81.66 crore to the bank.

According to the CBI, the accused allegedly suppressed and misappropriated business revenues, altered and falsified books of accounts and electronic records, and diverted funds in violation of lending conditions.

Investigators suspect that substantial amounts were routed through current accounts maintained outside the designated banking channels without obtaining the consent of consortium lenders.

The agency said the alleged diversion of funds and unauthorised transactions amounted to cheating, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation and criminal conspiracy, causing significant financial loss to SBI.

As part of the ongoing probe, CBI teams searched several premises linked to the company and its directors. The searches covered both office establishments and residential properties associated with the accused persons.

During the operation, investigators recovered documents and digital evidence that are believed to be relevant to the case. The seized material is being examined to ascertain the full extent of the alleged fraud, including the suspected diversion and misappropriation of funds, as well as the involvement of other individuals who may have played a role in the conspiracy.

The CBI said the evidence collected during the searches would help investigators trace the flow of funds and determine whether there were any violations of banking norms and sanction conditions imposed by the lending institutions.

Further investigation in the case is underway, the agency added.