Abhishek Ghosalkar shot dead: ‘Mauris wasn’t perfect; but he was not the man made out on social media’

Mauris was not perfect but he was not the villain social media users have made him out to be I will regret what happened for the rest of my life As much as I am saddened about my daughter losing her father I feel sad for Shiv Sena UBT leader Abhishek Ghosalkarrsquos childrenrdquo said Noronharsquos wife Sareena who has come out in support of her deceased husband who gunned down the former corporator in his IC Colony office before dying by suicide on ThursdayShe added ldquoI would like to emphasise that one should not trouble anyone so much that the consequences of onersquos actions become painful His rivals bear responsibility for whatever has transpired The criminal cases against Mauris were politically motivated The rape case against him was orchestrated by his enemies as part of a conspiracy Apart from this Mauris did not have any criminal recordrdquolsquoHe was under pressurersquoAccording to Sareena after his release from jail Noronha was under intense pressure ldquoThere were objections to his social workrelated banners and posters and he was prevented from organising events His enemies even wrote a letter to the US embassy labelling him a criminal resulting in Mauris being summoned by the embassy and denied permission to travel to the US without clearing his case immediately after his release on bail People even tried to stop him from earning a living ldquoI had never seen Mauris under so much pressure He often confided in me about his situation He had said that he would eliminate those responsible but I never thought this would happen He did not back downrdquoPolice and other law enforcement personnel outside Mauris Noronharsquos office in IC Colony in the aftermath of the shooting PicAnurag AhireSareena said Noronharsquos rivals attempted to sway him with money but he refused ldquoWhen someone offered to withdraw the rape case against him and allow him to contest the municipal corporator election my husband accepted the offer putting aside past grievances On this mutual agreement his enemies persuaded the woman to retract her accusationrdquo she added Recalling how she learnt about what transpired on Thursday said ldquoI was in the office when my mother called me and informed me that Abhishek had been shot Initially I didnt react and when a friend called and mentioned that Mauris was involved I couldnt believe it However when a third caller confirmed that Mauris had indeed shot Abhishek and himself I was utterly shocked I immediately sent my mother home as my daughter was aloneMauris Noronha and Abhishek Ghosalkar minutes before the shootingMy daughter had learned about the incident from a viral video on social media on her mobile phone Nowadays whenever she comes across social media posts describing her father as a criminal which is far from the truth she feels deeply saddened She knows that her father wasnrsquot the person portrayed in the media and on social platforms This has affected her greatly she has lost her appetite and constantly expresses her longing for her fatherrsquos returnrdquoSareena also dismissed claims that Noronha was not allowed to be buried in the local churchyard ldquoMauris had spent his childhood in Dhobi Talao His family members including his mother father brother and other close relatives are buried in the Mahalaxmi Cemetery Therefore it was suggested that he be buried there The priest not only endorsed this decision but also personally came to the cemetery to conduct the last ritesrdquo she addedFeb 9Day Noronha was buriedFebthinsp8Day Ghosalkar was shot