Maharashtra: NCP MLA Sunil Shelke & his brother Sudhakar Shelke among 7 booked for the murder of activist Kishore Aware

On May 12, at around 1.45 pm, unidentified assailants shot Kishor Aware at Maruti Mandir Chowk Talegaon Dabhade, Maharashtra. This incident happened when he left the meeting with the local municipal council’s chief executive officer; the four gunmen waiting for him in hiding shot him and assaulted him with koita knives.

Kishore Aware was taken urgently to the rural hospital in Somatane Phata, where he did not respond to the medical treatment, and the doctors there declared him dead after he showed no signs of life.

After the murder of the deceased, his 69-year-old mother, Sulochana Gangaram Aware, filed a complaint. Sulochana Gangaram Aware was also the former president of Talegaon Dabhade Nagar Parishad.
As per the FIR, Shyam Nigadkar and his colleagues shot and attacked the victim with weapons.

Based on that, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Sunil Shelke, his brother Sudhakar Shelke, Shyam Nigadkar, Sandip Garad, and three others have been booked by Pimpri Chinchwad Police.

The police have charged the accused, the MLA, and the other six under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and the Indian Arms Act. They all are residents of Talegaon Dabhade locals.

The mother revealed that for the past six months, her son had constantly told her about threats he had received from the NCP member, his brother, and Sandeep Garade.

She told, “Tensions between Kishore and the Shelke brothers escalated due to political differences and Kishore’s association with his friend Santosh Shelke, who had filed a non-cognisable complaint against Sunil Shelke. Kishore had openly opposed Sunil Shelke’s actions and regularly protested against the alleged wrongdoings committed by Sunil and his supporters, which further fueled their animosity towards him”.

The FIR also mentions that the deceased was also helping the alleged political rival of the Shelke brothers, Santosh Shelke.

According to the mother, Kishore posed a threat to Sunil and Sudhakar Shelke’s political hegemony, that’s why they planned to kill him.

As per the Assistant Commissioner of Police, Padmakar Ghanwat, to investigate the murder, four teams of the Crime Branch have been established. A CCTV camera located close to the scene of the incident captured a video that gave authorities some information about the perpetrators.

To investigate the murder, senior officials reached the crime scene, including Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinaykumar Chaube, Joint Commissioner Sanjay Shinde, Additional Commissioner Vasant Pardeshi, Deputy Commissioner (Crime) Swapna Gore, and Deputy Commissioner (Zone 2) Kakasaheb Dole.
The case is still under investigation.

Besides being a councillor, Kishore Aware was also the founder of Janseva Vikas Samiti. Through his organisation, he used to engage politically in Talegaon Dabhade. It was known that Jan Vikas Samiti had been working on a number of social projects and had built up a very strong connection with the community.

According to his relative, Kishore Aware helped many youngsters get jobs in the companies in and around Talegaon Dabhade.