Nagpur: The Maharashtra Government has announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe allegations of a “sinister plan” to arrest Devendra Fadnavis during his tenure as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) under the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime. The assurance came from Cabinet Minister Shambhuraje Desai during a session in the Legislative Council on Tuesday.
The demand for the SIT was raised by BJP MLC Pravin Darekar, who presented a pen drive claiming it contains sting operation videos exposing the conspiracy. Darekar alleged that the footage shows a Deputy Police Commissioner (DCP) coercing a citizen to provide false statements to implicate Fadnavis.
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Wed 18 Dec. 2024
Allegations of targeted conspiracy
Darekar alleged that the sting operation revealed discussions involving ACP Sardar Patil, who admitted to reopening an old case with the intent of targeting Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde, who was then a Cabinet Minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA Government.
He further claimed that the alleged plan was motivated by political vendetta, as Fadnavis was vocal against the MVA government on various issues. Darekar also noted that Shinde, despite being part of the government at the time, was a target due to his role as Urban Development Minister.
Demand for action
Darekar urged the government to take strict action, including:
* Registering a criminal case in the matter.
* Suspending DCP Laxmikant Patil.
& Removing former Advocate General Shekhar Jagtap from the government panel.
He also accused former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey of orchestrating the alleged plan and questioned whether such actions could have been carried out without the support of the then Chief Minister and Home Minister.
Government’s response
Minister Shambhuraje Desai assured the House that an SIT headed by a senior IPS officer would be formed to investigate the allegations. He stated that if former DGP Sanjay Pandey is found guilty, action will be taken against him.
Opposition queries delay
Opposition MLC Sachin Ahir expressed skepticism, stating that the alleged conspiracy, if true, is deeply regrettable. However, he questioned the delay in investigating the matter since the Mahayuti Government has been in power for over two years. “Why wasn’t this investigated earlier if it was such a serious issue?” asked Ahir. He cautioned against exaggerating the matter and called for an objective probe.
The announcement of the SIT marks a new chapter in the political controversy surrounding the MVA government, with BJP leaders asserting that the investigation will expose the “true face” of the previous regime.
