PUNE: Three men allegedly hurled liquor bottles at the residence of Maharashtra cabinet minister and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat, threatened security personnel posted there, and assaulted a police constable on duty late Thursday night. While the police have arrested all three suspects within hours of the incident, Shirsat has raised questions over the city’s law-and-order situation saying that the occurrence raises concerns over the safety of ordinary citizens.
The incident occurred around 11 pm on November 12 at Shirsat’s bungalow on Golwadi Link road in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. According to the police, the accused arrived on an electric scooter and got into an argument with the security personnel deployed at the residence.
The complainant, Vijay Bansi Darunte, 52, a police constable posted at the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police headquarters, has been assigned security duty at Shirsat’s residence for the past one month.
According to the FIR accessed by Hindustan Times, two private security guards, Kamlesh Pardeshi and Santosh Mahalkar, were also on duty when the three men arrived. The guards informed Darunte that the men hurled liquor bottles at the bungalow, breaking one of them.
When Darunte approached the men to question them, they allegedly threatened him and the other security personnel, claiming influence and identifying themselves as officers on special duty (OSDs).
“The accused allegedly abused and assaulted the complainant and other security personnel, obstructed them from performing their official duties, and threatened them. Despite being asked to leave, they continued to create a disturbance,” said police inspector Krishna Shinde of Satara police station.
{{/usCountry}}“The accused allegedly abused and assaulted the complainant and other security personnel, obstructed them from performing their official duties, and threatened them. Despite being asked to leave, they continued to create a disturbance,” said police inspector Krishna Shinde of Satara police station.
{{/usCountry}}Darunte subsequently called the police emergency helpline 112 and a team from Satara police station reached the spot and took the three men and their scooter to the police station.
The accused have been identified as Rohit Swapnil Bhutale, 24; Shivam Dnyaneshwar Gayakwad, 24; and Pratik Changdev Kute, 25; all residents of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
“All three accused were under the influence of alcohol. They have been arrested and fortunately, no one was injured in the incident. They were produced before a local court on Friday, which remanded them to one-day police custody,” Shinde told Hindustan Times.
Speaking to the media Friday morning, Shirsat expressed concern over the incident and raised questions over the police response. “I tried to contact the city police commissioner but could not reach him. As the guardian minister of the district, the police should take serious cognisance of the incident,” he said.
Shirsat later spoke to the state director general of police, who assured him that the matter will be investigated.
“If an incident like this can happen outside a cabinet minister’s residence, it raises serious concerns over the safety of common people,” Shirsat said, adding that he will raise the issue with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and seek accountability from the police administration.
Shirsat also claimed that this is the third such incident involving his residence. He said that the first incident took place during the Lok Sabha elections. In July 2025, a man allegedly created a disturbance outside Shirsat’s bungalow and hurled liquor bottles. However, no complaint was filed by the minister in that case.
Based on Darunte’s complaint, the police have registered an FIR against the three accused at Satara police station under sections 333, 132, 351(2), 351(3), 352, 355 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Further investigation is underway.
The incident has also drawn political reactions, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut targeting the Mahayuti government. Sharing a video of Shirsat on X and tagging the CM, Raut urged the latter to take serious note of the incident.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar too questioned the government’s ability to maintain law and order. In a post on X, he alleged that criminals have become increasingly fearless under the Mahayuti government and raised concerns over the safety of women and girls.
Referring to Shirsat’s remark about the safety of ordinary citizens, Wadettiwar questioned who will take responsibility for protecting the public and said that the incident raises concerns over the state’s law-and-order situation.