Ajit Pawar 'rebukes' woman IPS officer in viral video; NCP reacts
In viral video, Ajit Pawar purportedly threatens action against a woman IPS officer for not listening to his instructions to halt illegal soil excavation in Solapur
A video has gone viral on social media allegedly showing the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, engaged in a heated exchange with a woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, who was taking action against the illegal excavation of 'murrum' soil in Solapur.
The NCP, however, clarified that Pawar had no intention of obstructing the action, adding that the video was deliberately leaked.
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The viral clip
In the two-minute clip, Ajit Pawar is purportedly heard speaking to Anjana Krishna, the sub-divisional police officer of Karmala, via an NCP worker’s phone on August 31.
"Suno, mai deputy chief minister bol raha hu aur aapko aadesh deta hu ki vo rokwao (Listen, I am the deputy chief minister and I am instructing you to stop it)," the deputy CM is purportedly heard telling the IPS officer, who had reached Solapur’s Kurdu village to act on complaints of illegal excavation murrum soil for road construction.
IPS officer Anjana Krishna, originally from Kerala and recently posted in Maharashtra, reportedly failed to recognise Pawar’s voice and asked him to call her directly on her mobile phone.
According to the viral video, Anjana is heard saying she could not identify the caller as the deputy CM, to which, Ajit Pawar asked her if she recognises his face.
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Woman IPS officer chided
"Mai tere upar action lunga (I will take action against you)," the deputy CM is heard telling Anjana, who was seen to be standing in a field surrounded by NCP workers.
"Tujhe mujhe dekhna hai na. Tera number de do ya WhatsApp call karo. Mera chehra toh aapko samajh me aaega na (You want to see me, right? Give me your number or call me on WhatsApp. You will recognise my face, right?)," he told the police officer.
He further added, "Itna aapko daring hua hai kya (how dare you)." Pawar then makes a video call to the IPS officer, sternly asking her to halt the action against the illegal excavation of murrum, a soil commonly used as a sub-base and filler for road construction.
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NCP dismisses claims
NCP MP Sunil Tatkare, meanwhile, claimed that the video was deliberately leaked and asserted that Pawar did not intend to obstruct official action. Instead, he suggested, the deputy CM might have raised his voice only to pacify party workers.
"Ajit Dada may have chided the IPS officer to placate party workers. He didn't mean to stop the action completely," he said.
Ajit Pawar is known for his straight talk and never supports any illegal activity, said Tatkare, who heads NCP's Maharashtra unit.
"He perhaps meant to stop the action briefly just to defuse the situation," Tatkare added.