Mumbai, October 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Monday accused the BJP-led MahaYuti government of failing to curb organised crime following the firing incident targeting actor Tiger Shroff’s vehicle in Mumbai, alleging that Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis had allowed lawlessness to prevail in the state.
Demanding accountability, Sapkal questioned how jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi could allegedly continue to operate a criminal network from Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad without official patronage or political protection.
Sapkal cited attacks and threats involving prominent personalities, including actor Tiger Shroff, filmmaker Rohit Shetty and actor Salman Khan, as well as the murder of former Maharashtra minister Baba Siddique, arguing that such incidents reflected a growing challenge to law enforcement.
He referred to an order issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2023 under Section 268 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The order restricts the transfer of Bishnoi from Gujarat’s Sabarmati Jail for interrogation by state police forces, a restriction that, according to Sapkal, is renewed annually.
Responding to Fadnavis’s stated resolve to target the “bosses” of organised crime, Sapkal challenged the state government to approach the Union Home Ministry for the revocation of the restriction and seek Bishnoi’s transfer to Mumbai for interrogation and trial.
Sapkal also alleged that the Mumbai Police’s deterrent effect had weakened, claiming that law enforcement was being used for extortion and political intimidation. He cited what he described as police harassment of former Congress MLA Rahul Bondre after Bondre 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,” Sapkal said.
He further questioned what he described as inconsistencies in the handling of law enforcement across states, alleging that Assam Police could travel to Gujarat or Delhi to arrest opposition politicians, while FIRs registered in Bihar could lead to CBI investigations 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?” he asked.
Sapkal said Fadnavis should move beyond public warnings and take concrete legal steps to secure Bishnoi’s interrogation and prosecution. He added that if the government could not control gangsters, drug lords and sand mafias, it should resign.
Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) had also criticised the BJP-led MahaYuti government over the attack on Tiger Shroff.
The opposition’s criticism comes amid public and political concerns over alleged extortion calls and violent threats targeting public representatives and Bollywood personalities.
With opposition parties intensifying their criticism of the state’s law-and-order situation, pressure is mounting on the MahaYuti government to demonstrate concrete enforcement action rather than rely on public warnings.
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