Anand Dighe

 Anand Dighe, (27 January 1951- 26 August 2001) popularly known as Dharmaveer, was a prominent leader and Thane district Unit Chief for Shiv Sena.He was a mentor to many of the young politicians from Thane region, including Eknath Shinde & Rajan Vichare.Dighe was a politician from a an early age. In 1984 his election as president of the Thane Unit of Shivsena. Dighe was a grass-roots leader with a large following. Dharmaveer was his name of choice. He was a muscular muscleman in Thane. He held a regular Durbar in his Tembhi Naka residence to hear out/resolve issues faced by Thane citizens as well as Shiv Sena party workers.Dighe was accused in the killing of Shiv Sena party member Sridhar Khopkar who was believed to have voted for Congress in 1989. Dighe was arrested under TADA and was out on bail.The case continued until his death.Dighe was released in August of 2001 following an accident in a vehicle. He suffered minor injury to his leg. Dighe sustained minor injuries to his leg. The hospital's management stated that Dighe passed away due to an attack on his heart. His followers believed that he passed away because due to medical negligence. As consequently his followers set fire to Sunitadevi Singhania Hospital in Thane where he died. His popularity led to few followers believing that he had been murdered. Many conspiracy theories surround the death of Anand Dighe’s death.