Encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma joins Shiv Sena

Mumbai : Mumbai's famous cop and Encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma, who served 35 years of his life in the police department has now officially stepped into the Maharashtra politics.

Former Senior officer Pradeep Sharma, who is famous for killing hundreds of gangsters in the encounters have officially joined Shiv Sena in the presence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Friday evening.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray welcomed the former police officer into the fold by tying the -"Shiv Bandhan" a ceremonial thread indicating one's loyalty to the party- on his wrist and handing him a Bhagwa(saffron) flag.

Sharma is likely to contest the upcoming state assembly polls from Nalasopara constituency on the party's ticket against Bahujan Vikas Aghadi MLA Kshitij Thakur. Nalasopara is a non-Marathi dominated constituency, seems to be a favourable seat for the former police officer.

Sharma was sacked by the state government from service in 2008 for his alleged links with Underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim gang and his role in the encounter cases. He was acquitted by a sessions court in 2013 in the alleged fake encounter case and was reinitiated in the police force after four years.

The former senior officer was heading the Anti-Extortion Cell of Thane police when he applied for voluntary retirement in July. His request was formally accepted by the state government on Sept 9. He was originally supposed to retire in May 2020.