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Mumbai The release of Marathi film Dharamveer 2 has stirred a controversy, with Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat alleging that Anand Dighe, the late Sena leader from Thane, was murdered and that he did not die from injuries sustained in a road accident. The film is a sequel to Dharamveer, which released in May 2022. The first part was a biopic of Dighe, mentor to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whom the film projected as Dighe’s heir.
Reacting to Shirsat’s allegation, Dighe’s nephew and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader from Thane, Kedar Dighe, dared him to provide evidence to support his claim. Dighe also demanded to know why Shirsat had been silent for 23 years.
Dharmaveer released shortly before Shinde split the Shiv Sena. The movie—apparently made with the blessings of Shinde himself—projected him as a leader who would take Dighe’s legacy forward. Dighe was a very popular leader in the district. Now, ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra, Dharmaveer 2, a sequel, depicts how Shinde is taking Dighe’s Hindutva forward. It also attempts to justify his splitting the party.
On Saturday, Shirsat, who is also an MLA in the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, alleged, “Everybody in Thane district knows that Anand Dighe was killed. He was injured in an accident. On the day of his death, he was scheduled to be discharged from hospital. But suddenly he suffered a heart attack and died. Was he given an injection that caused a heart attack?” He also questioned the absence of party founder Bal Thackeray at Dighe’s funeral.
Kedar Dighe shot back, “I performed the final rites of my uncle. There was nothing suspicious about his death. If Shirsat and other party leaders in Thane believed that Dighe was murdered, why were they silent for 23 years? What did they have to gain? If there is truth to the allegation, they should provide evidence. As Dighe’s nephew, I will approach the courts to seek justice,”he said.
This is not the first time Dighe’s death has triggered controversy. After the release of Dharamveer in May 2022, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nilesh Rane had raised similar doubts. However, Nilesh’s father and MP Narayan Rane, in an interview to a news channel, had contradicted his son, saying there was nothing suspicious about Dighe’s death. He said he was sure of this as he was among the last persons who had met Dighe.
In August 2022, Eknath Shinde had said he would “reveal truth about Dighe” although he did not point fingers at anyone. The matter lay dormant until Saturday.
Dighe died in August 2001 following a road accident. Following his death, his angry followers had ransacked and burnt down Singhania Hospital in Thane, where he was being treated.