(Representative image)

MUMBAI: In the state home department led by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, a record number of police officials are under investigation for their alleged involvement in kidnapping, murder, circulation of fake currency and corruption scandals.

In Sangli district, former home minister R R Patil’s hometown, an undertrial was tortured to death in a police station. His body was taken to a nearby village and set on fire. Minister of state for home Deepak Kesarkar visited Sangli to take stock of the situation after a long delay. Some lower-rung officials have been arrested and they may be released on bail in the future.

In Pune, at least five police officials were involved in a plot to kidnap and kill a former councillor. The police officials were arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act. In Hingoli district, some police officials were arrested for their alleged involvement in a fake currency racket, and in Thane district a clerk was trapped accepting money from a sub-inspector for processing his application for advance. In Mumbai, a traffic constable towed away a car from no-parking zone although a woman was inside along with her baby. A bureaucrat said Fadnavis should step in to restore the credibility of men-in-khaki.

The smoking gun

State agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar was shocked after his deputy Sadabhau Khot disclosed that at an meeting convened by him in Satara a senior agriculture department official had come with a revolver. It is not known if Fundkar has promised disciplinary action against the official, but bureaucrats and IPS officers have expressed shock.

When IPS officers attend official meetings in Mantralaya, they rarely carry their official firearm. According to reports, the agriculture department official has a licensed revolver, but he did not take it to the meeting. In Maharashtra, several politicians have licensed weapons, but they do not carry them at official meetings. A senior BJP minister was caught in a controversy after he was found carrying a revolver to a school event. The minister has learnt his lesson and refrains from carrying the firearm.

Contentious donation

Transport minister Diwakar Raote was criticized for donating Rs 5 crore from the cash-starved Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation coffers to the CM’s farmers’ welfare fund. During the festive season, when employees were on strike to demand a wage hike, Raote refused to oblige. Raote had appealed to employees to donate for farmers’ relief, but the proposal was rejected. The MSRTC board presided over by Raote cleared the Rs 5 crore donation. Fadnavis trying hard to mobilize funds for the 32,044 crore loan waiver by approaching organisations and imposing a 30% cut on the budget, but he has not been successful.

