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New Delhi: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Friday clarified about a viral video of him engaged in a heated argument with a female Indian Police Service Officer(IPS). Following the brewing controversy, the minister, he stated, that he had no intentions of interfering with law enforcement rather ensured that the situation on the ground remained under control.
Clearing the doubts of netizens, Pawar further elucidated his intention in an X post. Sharing a note on X, he said, "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." The Deputy CM also claimed that he had huge respect for the officers who perform their duty with distinction and courage.
It all started after a video clip of Pawar berating an IPS officer for taking action against a few goons who were illegally excavating "murrum" soil used in road construction in a village in Solapur, Maharashtra. Over a phone call, Pawar was heard upbraiding a sub-divisional officer, identified as Anjana Krishna. Pawar said, Suno, mai deputy chief minister bol raha hu aur aapko aadesh deta hu ki vo rokwao," which translates to I am the Deputy Chief Minister and order to stop it.
However, the IPS officer was unable to recognise the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader. The conversation slowly took a serious turn when Pawar claimed that he would take action against her.“Tujhe mujhe dekhna hai na. Tera number de do ya WhatsApp call karo. Mera chehra toh aapko samajh me aaega na (You want to see me, right? Give me your number or call me on WhatsApp. You will recognise my face, right?)," he was seen telling the IPS officer. Itna aapko daring hua hai kya (how dare you)," he asked the officer.
The Maharashtra Deputy CM then made a video call to the police officer and sternly asked her to stop the action against illegal excavation of murrum. As per the viral clip, Krishna was heard saying she could not figure out that the deputy CM was talking to her. Pawar then asked if she recognised his face.
