'Conduct narco test on Ajit Pawar'

Stepping up his attack on the deputy chief minister for warning drought-afflicted villagers to vote for NCP's Supriya Sule or lose whatever water supply they get, Rashtriya Samaj Party-Mahayuti candidate Mahadev Jankar from Baramati has demanded a narco-analysis and voice detector test on Ajit Pawar, in addition to a thorough CBI enquiry.

Dam-med mockery: Ajit Pawar had taunted a farmer from a drought-hit village while he was on hunger strike, saying, "If there is no water in the dam... should we urinate into it?" (Below) Mahadev Jankar. File Pic

"Ajit Pawar is pressurising the police department. We believe that Maharashtra police including the state CID will not be able to conduct an impartial probe in this case. So we are demanding Pawar's resignation and a CBI enquiry in this matter. We have also asked for a narco-analysis and a voice detector test on Pawar," Jankar told mid-day.

On the basis of a complaint filed at Wadgaon-Nimbalkar police station by Aam Aadmi Party candidate Suresh Khopade, the Pune Rural police registered a non-cognisable offence against Pawar on the charge of threatening youths in Masalwadi who had questioned him about the water crisis in their village and nearby areas.

A reactionary Pawar allegedly threatened them with cutting the water supply top their drought-hit areas altogether if they didn't vote for sitting MP Sule in the elections held on April 17. A video clip of the incident, recorded by a local who reportedly attended a gathering called by Pawar hours before voting started in Baramati, is being widely circulated on social media.

Cops defend Pawar
Nonetheless, Baramati's deputy superintendent of police Sambhaji Kadam in his preliminary enquiry has given a clean chit to Pawar, stating that the deputy chief minister had not held any public meeting in the village on April 16. While conducting enquiry, Pune Rural police had, however, did not take the clip into consideration.

Asked about the veracity of the video, Superintendent of Police Manojkumar Lohiya told mid-day on Saturday that it was not considered while conducting the preliminary enquiry. "The aggrieved party should approach the court in this regard, as the police can't take suo motu action in this case," the SP said.

‘Come clean'
After the police's negation, Jankar visited Masalwadi and addressed a public rally on Sunday, after which he called a press conference in Baramati where he demanded Pawar's resignation and a CBI inquiry in the case.

"Pawar should come clean on the issue by letting a competent investigative agency probe the matter. Let the police find out the mobile tower locations of Ajit Pawar and his personal assistant, which will establish their movements in the villages on the night of April 16," Jankar said.

"Pawar should resign from the post of deputy chief minister. He is influencing the police probe in this case. We don't believe that the Pune Rural police and the state CID will be impartial while conducting an inquiry against Pawar, as the home department of the state government is with his party, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). So we are demanding a CBI enquiry," he said.

Politicians from BJP and Shiv Sena - Prithviraj Jachak, Vijayrao More, Satishbhaiyya Kakade - were also present for the conference.

Ajit Pawar remained unavailable for comment despite repeated attempts to reach him on his mobile.