Thane: Two unidentified bike-borne assailants opened fire at the office of BJP candidate Pawan Walekar contesting the Ambernath Municipal Council polls a little after midnight on Wednesday. Pawan’s security guard sustained injury when shards of broken glass pierced his finger due to the impact of the bullets on the windows, police said.With just three days left for Ambernath to go to polls, the firing incident, which took place the day chief minister Devendra Fadnavis was scheduled to address a rally there, has heightened political tensions and raised serious concerns about law and order in the area.DCP Sachin Gore said a case has been registered against the unidentified assailants and preliminary probe suggests the firing was intended to create fear and intimidation. He added that three police teams and one crime branch team have been deployed to trace the accused. “The motive behind the firing will become clear only after the perpetrators are arrested,” Gore said.Around 12.15am, Pawan was in the office of his construction firm, Bhupati Ventures, in the Navin Bhendi Pada area, along with two associates and the guard, when two men wearing helmets arrived on a two-wheeler, police said. At least four rounds were fired, while one bullet reportedly misfired, damaging the glass facade. The guard attempted to chase the fleeing assailants, but sustained an injury to his finger due to shattered glass. The entire incident was captured on CCTV cameras on the office premises.Following the incident, BJP leaders and workers staged a protest, expressing suspicion over the involvement of Shiv Sena city president Arvind Walekar’s family. Arvind’s son Nikhil is pitted against Pawan. They later gathered outside Ambernath police station, demanding registration of an FIR against Arvind and his family members.Sena leaders refuted the allegations. A delegation led by the party’s Thane district president Gopal Landge met the DCP and demanded an impartial probe. They alleged that the firing might have been orchestrated by Pawan himself. Arvind too denied the accusations, stating that the incident appeared to be a conspiracy to malign his family’s image.Thane police have increased security deployment across Ambernath to prevent any untoward incidents before the municipal council polls scheduled on December 20.Local polls: Firing at BJP candidate’s office in Thane; security guard injured
