Congress accuses MahaYuti government of shielding gangsters after Tiger Shroff firing incident

Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal accused Maharashtra’s MahaYuti government of failing to curb organised crime following the firing incident targeting Tiger Shroff’s vehicle. He questioned restrictions on Lawrence Bishnoi’s transfer for interrogation and demanded accountability from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Mumbai: Launching a scathing attack on the MahaYuti government following a high-profile firing incident targeting actor Tiger Shroff’s vehicle in Mumbai, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) President Harshwardhan Sapkal on Monday accused Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis of overseeing a state of complete lawlessness.

Demanding immediate accountability, Sapkal questioned how jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi continues to operate an extensive criminal empire from inside Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad without official patronage or political protection.

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Sapkal asserted that open-daylight attacks on high-profile figures, including actor Tiger Shroff, film producer Rohit Shetty, actor Salman Khan, and the murder of former minister Baba Siddique, prove that criminals no longer fear the police.

He pointed out that the Ministry of Home Affairs issued an order under Section 268 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in August 2023. This order prevents state police forces from transferring Lawrence Bishnoi out of Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail for interrogation—a legal restriction that is routinely renewed annually.

Dismissing Chief Minister Fadnavis’s assertions to go after the “bosses” of organised crime, Sapkal challenged the state government to request the Union Home Ministry to revoke Bishnoi’s legal immunity and bring him to Mumbai for interrogation and trial.

Sapkal alleged that the Mumbai Police force’s fear factor is a thing of the past because law enforcement is being used exclusively for extortion and political intimidation—citing ongoing police harassment against former Congress MLA Rahul Bondre after he refused to join the ruling BJP.

“If a famous film actor can be targeted in broad daylight in the heart of Mumbai, what safety remains for the common citizen? How is Lawrence Bishnoi operating his entire syndicate from an Ahmedabad prison? This is simply impossible without the direct blessings of the government,” he said.

He added that Assam Police can travel to Gujarat or Delhi to arrest opposition politicians, while aero FIRs filed in Bihar can trigger CBI probes in Mumbai.

“Yet, the Maharashtra government claims to be helpless when it comes to interrogating a gangster sitting in Gujarat. What relation does Bishnoi have with the BJP that he receives such official protection?”

Instead of issuing hollow threats and rhetorical warnings, Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis must display the courage to extradite Bishnoi to Mumbai, interrogate him, and prosecute him under the law. If this government cannot rein in gangsters, drug lords, and sand mafias, they have no moral right to remain in power and should resign immediately, noted Sapkal.

Earlier, Shiv Sena UBT and NCP SP also slammed the BJP-led MahaYuti government over the attack on Tiger Shroff.

The opposition’s onslaught comes amidst growing public and political concern regarding organised extortion calls and violent threats issued to public representatives and Bollywood personalities alike.

With opposition parties uniting against the state’s deteriorating law and order situation, pressure is mounting on the MahaYuti government to deliver concrete enforcement actions rather than public warnings.