KALYAN: Three people convicted in the murder of senior RPI leader Naresh Gaikwad joined Shiv Sena on Tuesday.
The convicts — Rahatmulla Khan alias Papa Khan, Indin Shaikh and Anawar Shaikh — are currently on parole due to Covid.
They joined the party in the presence of Shiv Sena MLA Balaji Kinikar and Thane rural president Gopal Landge.
The trio joined the party ahead of Ambernath municipal council election.
Naresh Gaikwad's son Kabir Gaikwad, who is associated with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has raised question over Shiv Sena's decision.
"I am shocked with Shiv Sena's decision of allowing the convicts, who killed my father, to join the party," Gaikwad said.
"I hope CM Uddhav Thackeray will ask his party to expel these goons from the Shiv Sena," he said, adding, I would like to appeal to jail authorities to cancel parole of the convicts.
A senior Shiv Sena leader from the city, who did not wish to be named told TOI, "The convicts are on parole. We may lose dalit votes in the civic election and our senior leaders should think about their decision".
MLA Balaji Kinikar said to allow these convicts to join the party was the decision of his senior leaders.
Naresh Gaikwad, the dalit leader from Thane District, was killed in 2000 by six people, including the three who joined Shiv Sena.
Six people were sentenced to life imprisonment in the dalit leader's murder case.