Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Sept 5: The Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has kicked up a controversy for allegedly rebuking a woman police officer on phone on a complaint from one of his party workers.
While reacting to the viral video showing him purportedly rebuking and “threatening” the woman IPS officer who was cracking down on illegal excavation in Solapur, Mr Pawar said he was only trying to prevent an escalation in the situation on the ground and that he had no intention of “interfering” with law enforcement.
Anjana Krishna was reportedly taking action against goons behind illegal excavation of the ‘murrum’ soil, and Pawar was allegedly ordering her not to do so. “You stop the action and go back to your office. Tell the tehsildar that the action has been stopped on the orders of the deputy CM,” he is heard saying on the phone call in the viral video.
Pawar’s clarification comes after the viral video lead to uproar on social media and a huge controversy. In the video, Mr Pawar, who is also president of the NCP, is heard speaking to Anjana Krishna, a sub-divisional police officer in Solapur’s Karmala, who was stopping the illegal excavation of ‘murrum’ – a substance used in road construction – in Kurdu village. In the clip, Mr Pawar is heard telling the officer, “I am the Deputy Chief Minister speaking. Stop the action. Should I take action against you? Do you have so much daring?”
Ms Krishna, who is originally from Kerala and was posted to Maharashtra recently, was handed a phone by an NCP worker and told her that Mr Pawar was on the line. The officer did not recognise Mr Pawar’s voice and asked him to call her on her cellphone.
“Mai tere upar action lunga (I will act against you),” Mr Pawar tells Ms Krishna, “Tujhe mujhe dekhna hai na? Tera number de do ya WhatsApp call karo. Mera chehra toh aapko samajh mein aaega na? (You want to see me, right? Give me your number or call me on WhatsApp. You will recognise my face, right?),” he is heard telling her. “Itna aapko daring hua hai kya (how dare you?),” he asked the officer, before video calling her and allegedly asking her to stop the action she was taking.
The opposition hit out at Mr Pawar and accused him of threatening a police officer as well as protecting “thieves” in his party. “You are threatening an IPS officer. He is heard saying that he will not tolerate indiscipline. Then what is this? That too, to protect the thieves of his own party. Mr Pawar, where is your sense of discipline? Illegal excavation of ‘murrum’ means defrauding the state’s treasury and you are the finance minister. Yet you did it,” Shiv Sena (Udhhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut said on Friday.
As the issue began to snowball, Mr Pawar took to X on Friday afternoon and issued a clarification. He remains committed, he said, to ensuring transparency and stopping all illegal activities. “My attention has been drawn to certain videos circulating regarding my interaction with police officials in Solapur. Let me state clearly that my intention was not to interfere with law enforcement but to ensure that the situation on the ground remained calm and did not escalate further,” he wrote.
“I have the highest respect for our police force and its officers, including the women officers who serve with distinction and courage and I value the rule of law above all. I remain firmly committed to transparent governance and to ensuring that every illegal activity, including sand mining, is dealt with strictly as per the law,” the deputy chief minister added.
Anjana Krishna V.S. is currently serving as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in Karmala, Solapur district. Known for her integrity and sharpness, she belongs to the 2022 IPS batch, having secured an All India Rank of 355 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
Born in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, Anjana comes from a modest background. Her father runs a textile business, while her mother is employed as a typist in the local court. Until recently, Anjana Krishna was largely unknown outside her professional circle. But the viral video of her exchange with Ajit Pawar has catapulted her into the spotlight.
According to reports, Anjana Krishna was overseeing action against unauthorised excavation in Kurdu village on August 31, when an NCP worker, Baba Jagtap, called Ajit Pawar and handed over the phone to her. On the line, Pawar instructed her to stop the operation, citing the ongoing Maratha agitation in Mumbai and the tense atmosphere.
Unfazed, the officer replied, “Please call me on my number.” This reportedly infuriated Mr Pawar, who told her, “Should I take action against you? Do you have so much daring? Give me your number, I am making a video call. You’ll recognise me on video call, won’t you?” He then connected with her directly through a video call, instructing her to stop the action and coordinate with the local Tehsildar.
However, before Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party issued a clarification earlier during the day that the deputy CM didn’t intend to completely stop the action.
NCP state president Sunil Tatkare alleged that the clip was leaked on purpose and added that Pawar “is known for straight talk.” He said Mr Pawar may have spoken to the officer to placate party workers. “He may have chided the IPS officer to placate party workers. He didn’t mean to stop the action completely.” He added that what Ajit Pawar said or did on the phone call was “not wrong.”
“He asked the woman IPS officer to defer the action as there were issues relating to law and order in the state. These things keep happening while dealing with the bureaucracy and there was nothing wrong with what he said or did,” Tatkare said.