Mumbai, Feb 9 (IANS): The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance went hammer-and-tongs after the ruling MahaYuti regime accused it of mafia links and splashed photos of prominent leaders with shady characters, and clamoured for President's Rule in Maharashtra, here on Friday.

The developments came soon after a notorious goon, Mauris Noronha alias ‘Mauris Bhai’ pumped at least three bullets into Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Abhishek V. Ghosalkar during a Facebook live interaction with people in Borivali west, late on Friday.

While Ghosalkar collapsed and succumbed instantly, Mauris ran up to the mezzanine floor of the office and reportedly shot himself repeatedly to end his life, leaving Mumbai shaken.

Amid a furore, the Mumbai Police has transferred the case investigations to the Crime Branch even as the MHB Colony Police Station detained two associates of Mauris, and recorded the statement of his wife on Friday.

In a no-holds barred attack, the MVA leaders have posted the killer Mauris’ photos with various MahaYuti personalities, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, former Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Mumbai North BJP MP Gopal Shetty, Amruta D. Fadnavis, embarrassing the ruling alliance of Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party.

The MVA and other parties have slammed the MahaYuti government for the collapse of law and order, and have demanded the resignation of Deputy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis, and imposition of the President’ Rule in the state.

Posting a picture, SS-UBT MP Sanjay Raut claimed: “Mauris Noronha, who shot Abhishek Ghosalkar, was in ‘Varsha’, the CM’s official bungalow, four days ago. Mauis was offered to join the Shinde Sena.”

Another SS-UBT MP Priyanka Chaturvedi put out a pix-collage of the killer with Koshyari, Shinde, Shetty and Amruta Fadnavis, the banker-singer socialite and wife of the DyCM, saying the state was witnessing lawlessness like never before.

“The shooter, Mauris, with the people who matter. From the illegitimate CM (a pic taken 4 days ago) to the state’s Mrs Home (illegitimate) Minister and a Pracharak Governor. My state deserves better,” said Chaturvedi in a sarcastic post.

State Congress President Nana Patole also flashed the Mauris-Shinde picture to attack the government, terming the recent incidents of open firings in Maharashtra as a “very serious matter”.

“The manner in which Ghosalkar was killed is shocking and horrific. Is there law and order in the state? The decline of Maharashtra from all sides is sad. One wonders whether the Home Minister (Fadnavis) sitting in the 'Sagar' bungalow is paying attention to the law and order system of Maharashtra or not,” rued Patole.

NCP (SP) National General Secretary Dr. Jitendra Awhad said the goings-on in the state were serious and expressed concerns over the issue of public safety when the political leaders are getting killed openly.

“It is a matter of shame for everyone here that progressive Maharashtra is moving towards UP/Bihar irrespective of the government. Where there is open firing on political leaders, what will be the guarantee of public safety,” Dr. Awhad asked.

In a sharp attack, Congress Chief Spokesperson Atul Londhe said the current dispensation has turned Maharashtra into a ‘state of goons’ with such crime incidents happening daily.

NCP (SP) National Spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that recent incidents in Mumbai, Nagpur and Pune indicate that the law and order has gone out of control in the state and sought the resignation of Fadnavis.

“Be it Nagpur where goondas are having say, Pune where gangs create havoc, in Ulhasnagar (Thane) where a (BJP) MLA fearlessly uses a police station to settle his scores with an enemy, and how, a young man, ex-BMC Municipal Corporator Ghosalkar was shot shot dead by a criminal without fear of the law,” said Crasto without mincing words.

Fadnavis told the media that the Ghosalkar matter was serious, but it is improper to give it a political colour or term it as a law and order issue and assured that the government will investigate the issue in depth.

Ruling Shiv Sena Minister Uday Samant claimed that Ghosalkar’s killing was an outcome of ‘internal feud’ in the SS-UBT, and “the CM has no connections with it”.

“However, the government will fully probe the incident, we will find out how the weapons were procured and other details,” assured Samant as the government battled an outcry.

As several theories on the killing are being speculated, the photos of the killer’s office have emerged which he had brazenly named ‘Mauris Bhai’, with ‘Bhai’ alluding to ‘Big Brother’ in goon lingo.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at: q.najmi@ians.in)