Sachin Sawant shot dead: Sena man’s journey from Kankavali to Kandivli

Sachin Sawant, Shiv Sena leader who was shot dead in Kandivli on Sunday, was to be promoted to the post of shakha pramukh (chief of a branch), his supporters claimed.

Sachin Sawant, Shiv Sena leader who was shot dead in Kandivli on Sunday, was to be promoted to the post of shakha pramukh (chief of a branch), his supporters claimed.

Sachin Sawant

Sawant came to Mumbai from Kankavli in Sindhudurg after completing his Class 10. He joined the Shiv Sena as a youth member when he was 18. “Sawant was affiliated to the party even when he was in his village,” said Srikant Yadav, Sawant’s close aide.

Yadav said that Sawant had met party chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree in February, a little ahead of the final decision on shakha pramukhs. “He was to be made the head of ward number 39. After more than two decades, Shiv Sena had won the seat of corporator from the area because of Sachin Sawant’s support,” claimed another supporter. “He was made the deputy head of the shakha in 2007 and continued in the position for the next two to three years,” added Yadav.

His association with Sena saw him get jobs as a site supervisor for builders, who wanted to develop chawls under the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) schemes. While Sawant rose politically, it also created enemies for him, said police sources. “It is that enmity which saw three accused barge into his office in 2010 and fire at him,” said a police officer, on condition of anonymity.

According to Yadav and Sawant’s son Omkar, Sawant was an easily accessible and helpful leader. “My father never said no to anyone. He would help resolve any kind of dispute in the area,” said Omkar. Yadav said Sawant was close to many MLAs and MPs of Shiv Sena. “He was close to MLA Ramesh Latke and his brother, Sandeep Sawant, is the personal assistant of MP Gajanan Kirtikar,” said Yadav.