Thane: Ram Purnekar, son of slain Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar, was detained by Thane police on Tuesday while attempting to stage a protest outside Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s residence, demanding justice in his father’s murder case.

The detention came a day after Ram warned that he and his supporters would protest if former Thane mayor Meenakshi Shinde and her husband, Rajendra Shinde, were not arrested within 24 hours.

Pradeep Purnekar, the party’s Manpada division chief, was shot and attacked with a chopper at his office on September 29. Police have arrested five accused, who are currently in judicial custody.

However, the Purnekar family alleged that Rajendra and Meenakshi Shinde were involved in the conspiracy behind the murder and demanded their immediate arrest. The family has also questioned the investigation, claiming that the actual mastermind remains free. These allegations have not been established in court. Meenakshi Shinde has denied the allegations, calling them baseless.

When Ram reached the area outside Eknath Shinde’s residence to protest, police personnel detained him and took him to a police station in an autorickshaw. According to Loksatta, he became emotional while expressing his frustration over the delay in securing justice.

The incident prompted political leaders and supporters to gather at Naupada police station. Former MP Rajan Vichare, MNS leader Avinash Jadhav and other opposition representatives joined the family in demanding action against the two individuals named by them.

The protesters questioned the police action against those seeking justice and demanded immediate arrests in the case.

The police have not yet announced any arrest of Rajendra or Meenakshi Shinde in connection with the allegations. The investigation into Pradeep Purnekar’s murder continues.