Less than a month before the State goes to polls, pictures of policeman-turned-candidate Pradeep Sharma, who is contesting on a Shiv Sena ticket from Nallasopara, and former gangster Shyam Kishore Garikapatti went viral on social media on Tuesday.
Mr. Sharma, who quit the force as a senior police inspector last month, was seen walking alongside Mr. Garikapatti at a rally held in Nallasopara. Mr. Garikapatti is a former member of the Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar gang.
Reacting to the pictures, Mr. Sharma said, “The picture is only proof of the fact that Dawood’s men stay in Nallasopara. I have arrested Mr. Garikapatti several times during my police career. Thousands of people attend my rallies, and I did not even notice him on Tuesday.”
He said people can say whatever they want. “Mr. Garikapatti might have interacted with me and left. I don’t need his support. In fact, he is a friend of Hitendera Thakur and Bhai Thakur. These people have been ruling the area for years together, and if I get elected I will make sure that all illegal activities in the area come to an end.”
Mr. Garikapatti, on the other hand, said he had actually gone to meet Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) chief Hitendra Thakur and only happened to cross paths with Mr. Sharma.
“I have known Mr. Thakur for a long time and had gone to see him as I needed some help. After I left, I saw a huge crowd and learned it was Mr. Sharma’s rally. Mr. Sharma had arrested me back when he was in the force during which time I came to know and respect him. I just decided to go to the rally for old times’ sake and was only with him for three to four minutes when someone took the photograph and circulated it on social media.”
He said after the pictures started doing the rounds, even Mr. Thakur called him up to ask what was happening, and he explained everything to Mr. Thakur as well. Mr. Sharma had arrested Mr. Garikapatti in an attempt to murder case in 1990, in which he was acquitted.
Hitendra Thakur, however, refuted Mr. Garikapatti’s claims of having met him. “I have full police protection for the sake of my safety because of which the police are constantly aware of every person who comes to meet me. People are free to approach them and verify if that man had come to meet me.”
He said anyone could check his call detail record to verify if he had called Mr. Garikapatti. “The question of me being in touch with someone whom I have never met in my entire life doesn’t arise. Now please don’t say that I must have used someone else’s phone,” Mr. Thakur said.
BVA MLA from Nallasopara Kshitij Thakur said he would inform the police about Mr. Garikapatti’s presence in the area. “I have said this earlier and I will continue to say that everybody has a tongue and an opinion but only time will tell how much value it holds. We don’t want criminals in our area.”
