Abhishek Ghosalkar, 41-year-old, the son of an Indian politician belonging to Shiv Sena UBT, was shot by a man while doing a Facebook live with him.
NDTV reports that the alleged attacker, Mauris Noronha, 49-year-old, then turned the gun on himself. This dreadful incident was caught on camera during the Facebook Live.
Mr Ghosalkar was the son of Vinod Ghosalkar, a former councillor of the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena.
Aaditya Thackeray, former state minister and the son of Uddhav Thackeray, observed:
“Now I have received information that bullets have been fired on Abhishek Ghosalkar….”
The attack apparently took place at the office of Mr Noronha, popularly known as Mauris Bhai, where Mr Ghosalkar had gone.
The two had patched up recently after some disagreement and Mr Ghosalkar was invited to his office for an event which was being webcast.
The Facebook Live video of the incident went viral and a total five bullets were heard to have been fired at Mr Ghosalkar.
In the four-minute 26-second video of the live video session, the two were seen talking comfortably and telling their audience that they have resolved all their past disputes and were in good terms.
Mr Noronha said during the session:
“Today we have decided to come together and unite. We have decided to distribute sari and ration together.”
Mr Ghosalkar added:
“It is a good decision to work together for the betterment of the public… we are distributing sari to 300 working and needy women. We will work together and serve the people of Kandarpada. We have taken this resolution on this new year, which is a new time beginning of our friendship and collaboration.”
The moment the Facebook Live session got over and Mr Ghosalkar got up, Mr Noronha allegedly fired five bullet shots that was heard in the video.
Soon after he was shot, Mr Ghosalkar was rushed to nearby Karuna Hospital, where he died during the treatment.
A senior IPS officer on condition of anonymity told Indian Express:
“Both Abhishek and Mauris succumbed to their injuries. Abhishek’s body will be taken to Sir JJ Hospital for postmortem, while Mauris’ body will be taken to Cooper Hospital. We will share more details later.”
Mr Noronha who describes himself as a “philanthropist” and “social worker” was also keen on contesting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation elections.
The motive of the shooting of Mr Ghosalkar is not clear yet.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has demanded Maharashtra Deputy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ resignation over the incident.
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