A criminal case registered in Thane City Police Station in 2016 has created a major controversy in the political and police department of Maharashtra. It is alleged in the case that an attempt was made to falsely implicate the then opposition leader and current Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Former DGP Rashmi Shukla has made these allegations against former DGP Sanjay Pandey and two former police officers.
In 2016, a case was registered against Shyamsundar Aggarwal at Thane City Police Station. This case was related to the fight between developer Sanjay Punmiya and Shyamsundar Aggarwal after the breakup of partnership. The charge sheet in this case was filed in 2017. However, the then Director General of Police Sanjay Pandey had ordered a re-investigation of the case.
Allegation: Sanjay Punmiya was harassed
On the basis of this old case, Sanjay Punmiya was harassed from 2021 to June 2024 and money was demanded from him. Punamiya lodged a complaint at Thane City Police Station. On the basis of this, a case of extortion was registered against seven people including Sanjay Pandey. Assembly member Praveen Drakar raised serious questions regarding this entire incident.
He alleged that a conspiracy was hatched to implicate Fadnavis and Shinde by reviving the old case of 2016. After this the government announced the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT). The SIT submitted its investigation report to the then Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla. Rashmi sent this report to the state government for action.
Audio and video recording sent to lab
During the investigation, the audio and video recordings given by Sanjay Punmiya were sent to the Forensic Science Lab in Kalina. Forensic investigation confirmed that the conversation took place between retired Assistant Commissioner of Thane Police Sardar Patil, former town planner of Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation Dilip Ghevre and Sanjay Punmiya.
In the recorded conversation, Sardar Patil can be heard saying that Sanjay Pandey had asked him and Police Inspector Manohar Patil why Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde were not arrested. According to sources, former DGP Rashmi Shukla had submitted an intelligence report to the Home Department five days before her retirement. It was said that Sanjay Pandey, under the pressure of the then Maha Vikas Aghadi government, had tried to send builders to jail by implicating them in false extortion cases.
Questions on the role of Laxmikant and Sardar Patil
The report has recommended legal action against Sanjay Pandey. Serious questions have also been raised on the role of the then Deputy Commissioner Laxmikant Patil and Assistant Officer Sardar Patil. After this news, political rhetoric has intensified. BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhyay launched a scathing attack on social media, calling it politics of revenge. He alleged that during the tenure of then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the police machinery was misused to eliminate political opponents.
After the release of the investigation report, the constituent parties of the Mahayuti government have become aggressive. BJP and Shinde Shiv Sena have started targeting Uddhav Thackeray in this matter and have demanded narco-analysis test of Sanjay Pandey. This entire matter is being linked to the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. With the public release of the SIT report, another major political upheaval is expected in Maharashtra.