Sawant murder: cops probe SRA project angle

Mumbai: The Kurar police, probing the murder of Shiv Sena leader Sachin Sawant, are finding out whether the recent groundbreaking ceremony of a slum rehabilitation authority project in Kandivali, in which Sawant was an advisor, might have led to his death.

Sawant was on his way to his Malad residence when an assailant shot at him multiple times and fled on a motorbike, which was being driven by an accomplice.

Sawant, a deputy branch head at the Sena, was in the real estate business, and worked as an advisor for a real estate development group. “Inquiries so far indicate that the SRA project, a major one in Kandivali, had been stuck for years due to opposition from some of the slum dwellers, who were to be rehabilitated. There were allegations that some other builders were instigating slum residents and causing other problems to delay the project,” an officer with the Kurar police said.

The officer said Sawant had frequently got into arguments with those opposing it, according to local residents. “The groundbreaking on April 18 was the first development in the project, and a signal that it was finally ready to begin. It is possible that parties interested in delaying it further might have been behind his murder,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, the police have learned that one of the two accused arrested in the 2010 attempt on Sawant’s life had recently been acquitted, and are trying to trace his whereabouts to rule out or confirm his involvement in the crime.

On Tuesday, the police picked up three suspects in the Malad–Kandivali area in this connection. Sources said they were being questioned till late in the evening.

Sawant had been associated with the Sena for around 18 years and had worked his way up the ranks after joining as a foot soldier. He was the deputy head of the Sena shakha in Kandivali, and had recently been promoted to shakha pramukh, although the promotion was yet to be formally announced. He is survived by his wife, son, and daughter.