Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar threatens woman IPS officer during inspection of illegal excavation

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has threatened a woman IPS officer who is inspecting illegal Murrum Soil excavations in Solapur district.

The video of the exchange between the minister and the woman officer went viral on the internet and sparked a controversy.

According to news agency PTI, the clip is from two days ago. In the video, Pawar can be seen directing sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Anjana Krishna to stop the action against the illegal excavation.

The incident took place in Kurdu village in Solapur, where Krishna was investigating Murrum’s complaints of unauthorized excavations linked to a road construction project. Murrum soil is commonly used as sub-base and filler material in road construction.

“How dare you? asks Ajit Pawar

The case began when National Congress Party (NCP) worker Baba Jagtap handed over his phone to officer Krishna after calling Ajit Pawar, who is also NCP president.

“Suno, Mai deputy chief minister, Bol Raha Hoon Aur Mai Aapko Aadesh Deeta Hoon Ki Aap wo Rukwao (listen, I am the deputy chief minister, and I am ordering you to stop your action),” Pawar said, while giving a reason for saying that the woman’s officer should cite to stop the proceedings.

When Krishna didn’t seem to recognize her voice, she asked him to call her phone number directly.

Hearing this, Pawar reportedly raised his voice and said, “How dare you? I will take action against you. You will at least recognize my face, right?” He then asked the officer for his number.

The two then allegedly moved on to a video call, and Pawar reiterated to stop the operation, according to News18.

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NCP defends Pawar, claims video ‘leaked’

Reacting to the controversy, NCP’s Maharashtra unit president Sunil Tatkare said the video was “deliberately leaked”.

“Ajit Dada may have reprimanded the IPS officer to appease the party workers. He did not want to stop the action completely,” Tatkare was quoted as saying by PTI.

“Ajit Pawar is known for his straight talk and never supports any illegal activity. Perhaps he wanted to stop the action briefly just to defuse the situation,” Tatkare said further defended the deputy CM.

FIR against NCP workers

Hours after the video surfaced, police filed an FIR at Kuruwadi police station against 10-15 NCP workers, including Baba Jagtap, for allegedly obstructing a government officer during functions, according to news18.

The case was registered under Section 9.15 of the Environment Protection Act and multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 132, 189 (2), 189 (3), 189 (5), 303 (2) and 3 (5).