Former Thane mayor and Shiv Sena corporator Meenakshi Shinde has sought additional police protection for the family of slain Shiv Sena (UBT) functionary Pradeep Purnekar and three local residents, while alleging that an Opposition-led conspiracy is being planned to implicate her and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the case.
Shinde approached Thane police commissioner Ashutosh Dumbare with the request on Tuesday. The move comes after members of Purnekar’s family named her as the alleged mastermind behind his murder. The competing claims have added a political dimension to a case that is already under investigation by Thane police.
Speaking to reporters, Shinde said she had received information about a series of meetings allegedly being held to frame her and the deputy chief minister. She also claimed that the lives of three local residents could be at risk and sought additional protection for them.
“I was alerted by one of them (Opposition) about regular meetings being held to falsely implicate me and (Eknath) Shinde in some way or the other, for which they may go to any extent,” she said. Shinde also referred to what she described as a fake audio clip naming the three residents that was circulated during the 2026 civic elections.
The protection request places the Thane police response at the centre of the developing dispute. The police commissioner’s office has received Shinde’s representation, but the report does not specify whether additional security has been granted or whether the allegations about the meetings and audio clip have been independently established.
Shinde also defended her resignation as Thane district chief of Shiv Sena’s women’s wing, saying it was voluntary and motivated by what she described as her inability to watch Eknath Shinde being repeatedly targeted. She denied having a personal rivalry with the Purnekar family and said she had not been contesting against them in the same electoral panel.
Instead, she pointed to alleged differences between the Purnekar family and former MP Rajan Vichare. Shinde claimed that Vichare had not campaigned for Pradeep Purnekar’s wife, Vijeta, and his brother, Jaynath, who contested the civic elections. These claims have not been independently confirmed in the report.
The dispute has unfolded against the backdrop of concerns raised by the Purnekar family over the pace of the police investigation. The family is learnt to be considering approaching the Bombay High Court after meeting Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday. The reported meeting focused on dissatisfaction with the progress of the Thane police probe.
The case now involves parallel demands: the Purnekar family is seeking accountability for the investigation, while Shinde has asked police to protect people whom she says could be targeted or drawn into an attempt to frame her and the deputy chief minister. The next formal step will depend on the Thane police response to the protection request and any further action by the Purnekar family before the Bombay High Court.
