MUMBAI, Sept. 30 -- Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday stepped up his attack on the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra government over the murder of the party's Thane leader Pradeep Purnekar, saying the "real masterminds" behind the killing were in the Shinde camp.

Raut also slammed the Maharashtra government, home department overseen by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, and the Thane police for failing to protect people, asking whether Thane was "not on the map of the Home Department."

Pradeep Purnekar, a vibhagh pramukh (divisional head) of Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT), was shot dead by unidentified assailants outside his office in Thane's Manpada area late on Tuesday.

His family linked Meenakshi Shinde, ...