Pimpri Chinchwad: PSI Suspended in Kalewadi Assault Case Amid Allegations of Political Interference
Reported By Varad Bhatkhande
Pimpri Chinchwad, 27th December 2024: Reports have emerged regarding pressure exerted by a prominent political leader from the ruling Mahayuti alliance to exclude the name of a notorious criminal from a case.
As a result, a Police Sub Inspector (PSI) under the Pimpri Chinchwad Police Commissionerate (PCPC) has been suspended. Sources have informed Punekar News that the leader in question is Maval MP Shrirang Barne from the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The notorious criminal was also a member of Barne’s party, Eknath Sena. MP Barne, however, has denied his involvement in this case in any way.
The suspended PSI, Sachin Chavan, is from Kalewadi Police Station. On 22nd December, a youth was brutally attacked in Pawana Nagar. The police arrested the accused, Anup Bhosale, and registered a case against Akshay Bhosale and Pranav Gawali. However, despite being involved, the notorious criminal Prashant Bhanudas Dighe’s name was not included in the case. The complainant had stated that Dighe was involved.
It was revealed that a powerful leader from the Mahayuti alliance had pressured the police to exclude Dighe’s name from the investigation. Sources have identified Maval MP Shrirang Barne as the leader involved. Upon learning of this, Commissioner of Police Vinoy Kumar Choubey instructed the police to gather additional evidence. After reviewing the evidence, it was confirmed that Dighe was involved, and he was subsequently arrested. As a result of succumbing to pressure, PSI Chavan has been suspended.
A senior official from the Pimpri Chinchwad Police told Punekar News that evidence indicates MP Shrirang Barne was pressuring officials to exclude Dighe’s name from the complaint. Dighe, already a notorious criminal, was also a member of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. However, after his arrest and the reports of his involvement in the crime, Pune District Chief of Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Balasaheb Walhekar, dismissed Dighe, citing his criminal background and claiming that the party was unaware of his past when he was inducted.
Punekar News contacted MP Shrirang Barne, who strongly refuted the claims. “If it’s true, they should announce it,” Barne stated.
Police officials said that after the incident, Barne met Police Commissioner Choubey and handed over a letter alleging the cops involvement in ‘hafta vasooli’.
