Raut seeks action against rebel MP Sanjay Patil over ‘threats’; Fadnavis says police will act

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday (June 25, 2026) wrote a letter to Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti demanding action against MP Sanjay Dina Patil, who recently joined the ruling Shiv Sena, over his alleged comment about “throwing bombs” at protesters.

Amid a war of words between Mr Raut and Mr Patil, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday (June 25, 2026) that the police would take appropriate action against anyone making threats.

Reacting to the spat between the two leaders, Mr. Fadnavis said that no one should be intimidated by threats and said that the state would not tolerate any such acts.

Also read | ‘Operation Tiger’ a success, declares Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde

In a letter to the police commissioner, Raut said Patil’s alleged remarks amounted to terrorism and criminal intent.

He alleged that the six MPs who recently defected from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT) to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena from Maharashtra had become the subject of public outrage across the country.

There is huge anger among the people of Maharashtra against this division and people are holding protests at various places as they feel that the voters have been grossly “betrayed”. Protesting and holding elected representatives accountable are constitutional rights of citizens, said a Rajya Sabha member.

However, “rebellious” North East Mumbai MP Sanjay Patil had threatened the protesters with death, he claimed.

Raut claimed that Patil said that if anyone protested against him, he would “throw bombs at them”, enter their homes and “kill them”.

The Sena (UBT) leader said the MP threatening to use bombs was deeply alarming. If these bombs were manufactured or stored at his residence, an immediate search of his premises should be conducted. For this, the help of the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) should be requested. If these bombs were recovered from any terrorist organization or criminal network, it becomes a serious national security concern, he said.

Notably, after joining Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Monday, Sanjay Patil told the media that when his father Dina Patil (former Congress MLA) was attacked, five people were killed without giving details of the alleged incident.

He was apparently responding to Raut’s ‘Operation Tudva’ (defeat) call after six of the nine Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs defected to the rival Sena.

The heated exchange later turned sour when Raut used expletives on Patil.

Raut claimed that Patil had also said that he should not fight with him and before protesting against him, people should take out life insurance, saying that he would send them “either to the crematorium or to the hospital”. In making the threat, Patil talked about “killing” five people, as he claimed in his letter to the police.

He said an investigation should be conducted into who these five people were and when and why Sanjay Patil allegedly killed them. Since he had confessed to it himself, a case of murder should be registered against him immediately, he said.

Raut argued that Patil’s statements constitute evidence of threats, terrorism and criminal intent. “He should be dealt with immediately. Otherwise, I will be forced to seek legal remedies in the courts in the interest of public safety,” he said.

“In that case, he should be immediately arrested under the UAPA (Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act) for involvement in terrorist and anti-national activities,” he said in the letter.

There is widespread concern in the society over MP Patil’s threats, Raut said. “I would also like to specifically state that if any political worker is attacked or murdered during this period, full responsibility should be borne by Sanjay Patil,” he added.

However, CM Fadnavis said that the police will take appropriate action against anyone making threats.

“We will not allow someone’s house to be blown up with a bomb, nor should anyone be afraid of empty threats. If someone makes a threat, the police will give them an appropriate response,” he told reporters.

Maharashtra Home Minister and Shiv Sena leader Yogesh Kadam said Raut’s allegations against Patil appeared to be driven by “revenge politics” and claimed that the police would investigate the matter and take action if any law was violated.

“I am not privy to what Sanjay Dina Patil said. But when Patil was with Raut and the Shiv Sena (UBT), why did Raut hide this information? I feel it is nothing but revenge politics. I am not aware of the letter written to the Mumbai Police Commissioner,” he told reporters at the Vidhan Bhavan premises.

Kadam said the Mumbai Police Commissioner will find out the facts and take appropriate action.

The minister further said that he did not have complete information about Patil’s alleged statements and would first discuss the matter with him.

“I will discuss this matter with Sanjay Dina Patil. If any law has been violated, legal action will follow,” he added.

Minister of State Shambhuraj Desai also questioned the timing of Raut’s allegations.

“When Sanjay Dina Patil was with Shiv Sena (UBT), Raut had no problems. Now he objects to it. Let him choose his course and let the Mumbai Police Commissioner decide,” said a Shiv Sena leader.

Published – 25 Jun 2026 15:05 IST