Ambejogai in state of shock

Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Apr 22 (UNI) Ambejogai, the hometown of Mr Pramod Mahajan in the neighbouring Beed district, is in a state of shock with the reports of the BJP General Secretary being shot at his Worli residence in Mumbai by his youngest brother Pravin this morning reaching the town.

This correspondent spoke to a number of friends and well wishers of the family-- who refused to believe that the he could have been shot at by the youngest sibling, whom he cared for more than as a father.

Mr Mahajan is battling for life at the Hinduja Hospital in Mumbai with three bullents, fired by his brother Pravin, still embedded leading to a heavy loss of blood.

Prof Nanasaheb Gathal, one of the favourite students of Vyankatesh Mahajan (Pramod Mahajan's father) who had shared several moments of the family in their bad times, said that he had seen how Pramod picked up the job of a teacher in a local school, after his father died of a massive heart attack to run the family including his mother, two brothers and sisters.

The Mahajan's did not own a house when his father died and lived in a rented room at Ambejogai, where he got engaged to Rekha, with whom he fell in love during the college days, Prof Gathal said.

Pravin, the youngest of the Mahajan family, was just nine years old when his father died in 1970, Prof Gathal said, adding that since then, Mr Mahajan took care of him (Pravin).

Journalist Rambhau Kulkarni, a resident of Ambejogai, who is also a BJP activist, said it was shocking incident for the small town, which Mr Mahajan loved has been visiting every year without fail on at least two occasions-- one for the annual 'pooja' to the family Goddess 'Yogeshwari', and another to meet his mother-in-law during the Diwali festival.

Majority of people who have known the Mahajan family, have very little information about Pravin, whom they have seen during his childhood, as he left the town in 1978.

A few family friends, speaking on condition of anonymity, felt that there could have been some family matter behind the shoot- out, since Pravin was known to be a short-tempered person and might not have been able to control himself.

They, however, ruled out any dispute over property.

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