The BRICS TimesA controversy erupted in Maharashtra on August 31 when Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar scolded IPS officer Anjana Krishna over phone during her action against illegal excavation. Following this, NCP’s MLC Amol Mitkari demanded verification of the officer’s documents, but as the issue escalated, he deleted his post and issued an apology.
Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has once again found himself in the political spotlight. Recently, a video surfaced showing Pawar reprimanding IPS officer Anjana Krishna over the phone, instructing her to halt action against illegal soil excavation. The incident quickly snowballed into a political controversy, with the opposition alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi launching sharp criticism against him on Saturday. As the video went viral and questions mounted, Ajit Pawar offered a clarification on Friday, insisting that he had no intention of interfering in the matter. According to him, his only purpose was to ease a tense situation and prevent it from escalating further.
The controversy, however, did not stop there. NCP’s Member of Legislative Council and party spokesperson Amol Mitkari drew further attention when he wrote to the UPSC, seeking verification of the academic and caste documents submitted by IPS officer Anjana Krishna. His remarks immediately provoked backlash from the opposition, who accused him of targeting the officer unfairly. Under mounting criticism, Mitkari later deleted his post and publicly apologized.
In his statement of apology, Mitkari admitted his error and wrote, “I unconditionally withdraw the post I made regarding the Solapur incident and express regret. It was not the stance of my party but entirely my personal opinion. I hold the highest respect for our police force and for officers who serve with integrity. I fully agree with the position taken by the senior leadership of my party.”
The episode dates back to August 31, when revenue officials, accompanied by IPS officer Anjana Krishna, reached Kapre Vasti in Solapur district to crack down on illegal excavation activities. It was at this moment that the Deputy Chief Minister reportedly called Krishna, an exchange that was recorded on video and subsequently spread widely across social media, igniting the controversy.
The opposition has since escalated its attacks on the NCP. Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi remarked, “When a video of Ajit Pawar intimidating a woman officer went viral, the Deputy Chief Minister claimed that he had the utmost respect for our police force and for all its officers, including women, and that he valued the rule of law above everything. But at the very same time, Mitkari wrote to the UPSC demanding an investigation into the academic and caste documents of that woman IPS officer, Anjana Krishna. Who drafted Mr. Pawar’s X post? Does he even know what is being posted from his handle and what his own MLC is doing?”
Congress leader and former MLA Yashomati Thakur also condemned the incident, saying, “It is deeply shameful that a leader of the NCP, who projects himself as a follower of the ideology of Shivaji, Shahu, Phule, and Ambedkar, stooped so low as to comment on the caste of an IPS officer. Why has Mitkari suddenly remembered IPS Krishna’s documents now?”
This controversy, which began with Ajit Pawar’s phone call during an official action, has now broadened into a full-blown political debate, dragging the ruling NCP into sharp criticism from its rivals while also forcing its own leaders to retract and apologize.
