Shrikant Sarmalkar, Sena leader who carried a bullet in his torso, dies

His long political career was however marred by several allegations and controversies; one of them was his involvement in the 1984 Hindu-Muslim riots in Bombay (now Mumbai)

Mumbai: Former Shiv Sena (undivided) legislator Shrikant Sarmalkar passed away on Monday in the city after battling a prolonged illness. Sarmalkar was a corporator and later rose to the ranks as a legislator from the Kherwadi area of Bandra East. He started his political career with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab in 1980 as Sena’s shakha pramukh.

Shrikant Sarmalkar, Sena leader who carried a bullet in his torso, dies

His long political career was however marred by several allegations and controversies; one of them was his involvement in the 1984 Hindu-Muslim riots in Bombay (now Mumbai).

He was also one of the key figures to organise “chaddi mocha” in which protesters wore shorts and shouted slogans outside Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar’s residence after he participated in a PIL seeking permission to screen Deepa Mehta’s film Fire, which Shiv Sena and other right-wing outfits opposed for the depiction of same-sex relationship. “Sarmalkar’s home turf Kherwadi was a Maharashtrian majority area. He was a grassroots worker and was involved in the 1984 Hindu-Muslim riots in the city,” said Anil Parab. In 1985, founder of Shiv Sena Balasaheb Thackeray gave Sarmalkar a ticket in the civic polls which he won and became corporator till 1992. In 1987, an unknown assailant shot him outside the BMC headquarters. Some bullets were removed, but a few remained in his body. After his recovery, he carried a certificate stating that there was a bullet inside his torso to avoid trouble while passing through metal detectors at the airport.

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s executive assistant Milind Narvekar said, “He used to provide private security to Balasaheb and also drive vehicles to escort Balasaheb.’’

He was elected to the state assembly from the Kherwadi constituency in a by-election in 1996 but lost the polls in 1999. In 2005, when Narayan Rane left Shiv Sena, Sarmalkar left the party along with him. He founded trade unions. But in 2011, he returned to Uddhav Thackeray camp and was the deputy leader.

His failing health did not allow him to work for the party in the last three years. He had Alzheimer’s and a paralytic stroke, according to his party colleagues. Sarmalkar will be cremated on Tuesday and is survived by two daughters and a wife.