On a day the Shiv Sena (UBT) took out a march in Nashik, demanding a drug-free state and the resignations of ministers Dada Bhuse and Shambhuraj Desai, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis claimed that a drug lord Lalit Patil, the then Nashik chief of Uddhav’s party, was arrested in December 2020 but never interrogated.

Patil’s arrest in a narcotics case has opened up the political field, with accusations and counter-accusations from both sides, especially Sena’s rival factions. The Sena (UBT) has alleged that Bhuse and Desai had helped Patil escape from Pune’s Sassoon General Hospital early this month. The ministers have denied the charge and said they are willing to face inquiries.