Brother of NCP MLA among four held in firing incident at folk art centre in Daund

The incident occurred late on July 21 at the newly established Ambika Kala Kendra, located near Wakhari village, off the Pune–Solapur highway.

Pune

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The Daund police have arrested four persons, including the younger brother of NCP MLA Shankar Mandekar, in connection with a firing incident during a traditional folk performance at a cultural centre in Yavat, Daund tehsil. The arrests were made on Thursday, a day after police lodged an FIR against the four persons.

The incident occurred late on July 21 at the newly established Ambika Kala Kendra, located near Wakhari village, off the Pune–Solapur highway. The venue is known for hosting lavani, tamasha, and other traditional Maharashtrian folk art performances.

Police said Kailas alias Balasaheb Mandekar, the younger brother of Bhor MLA Shankar Mandekar, allegedly fired a round from a revolver while dancing during a performance. The bullet struck a wall and became lodged in the ceiling. While no major injuries were reported, a female performer fainted amid the commotion and was admitted to a hospital for treatment.

“Four persons have been arrested in connection with the incident. They have been remanded in police custody till July 28,” said Pune Rural superintendent of Police Sandeep Gill.

The accused have been identified as Kailas alias Balasaheb Mandekar, Ganpat Jagtap, Raghunath Avad, and Chandrakant Marne. While three of the accused were arrested on Thursday morning, Marne, who had initially gone absconding, was detained later that afternoon.

A case has been registered under Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and Section 3(25) of the Arms Act. Police also seized a revolver and a four-wheeler used by the accused.

Investigating officers recovered CCTV footage from three nearby folk art centres. A breakthrough came when the art centre’s manager, Babasaheb Andhare, agreed to cooperate and filed a formal complaint.

The incident took a political turn after NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar accused the police of trying to suppress the matter. Speaking at a press conference and on social media, Pawar demanded strict action, alleging that a woman had been injured and accusing the authorities of shielding the accused due to political influence