Speaking truth to Pawar

MAHARASHTRA Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is like the proverbial cat with nine lives. The BJP-Shiv Sena government (2014-19) accused him of siphoning off funds when the Congress-NCP (Nationalist Congress Party) alliance was in power. Pawar had served as the state Water Resources and Irrigation Minister from 1999 to 2009. Later, he was given the clean chit in the irrigation scam.

In 2023, he jumped ship with some of his supporters, originally from the NCP, and formed a splinter group that extended support to the BJP.

Recently, the Deputy CM found himself in trouble after a young IPS officer, Anjana Krishna, posted as SDPO (Sub-Divisional Police Officer) at Karmala in Solapur district, got the better of him. She recorded her conversation with Pawar, showing him in an extremely poor light. He tried to squirm out of the spider’s web but got inextricably entangled.

The Mahayuti government, led by Devendra Fadnavis, had ordered that sand mining of riverbeds in the state would not be permitted without the written nod of the designated district revenue officer. Pawar’s faithful followers, like those of other important politicians in the state, presumed that all laws and rules framed by parties in power could be broken by those who owed allegiance to the ruling alliance.

As the Police Commissioner of Thane in 1981, I was ‘requested’ by a Congress MLA close to then Chief Minister, AR Antulay, to desist from raiding distilleries manufacturing illicit liquor! I politely pointed out to the gentleman that the laws were enacted by his own party and not by the police. If his party wanted the illicit liquor business to flourish for whatever reason, he needed to approach his own party bosses to abolish the prohibition law that required the police to prevent distillation in the interest of people’s health.

As the Police Commissioner, I was duty-bound to implement the government’s policies. After leaving my office, the MLA told anxious police inspectors awaiting his signal that they had been saddled with an ‘insane’ boss who believed that laws instituted by legislators were sacrosanct!

Ajit is not the only senior politician to browbeat ‘government’ servants, who are actually ‘public’ servants. There were fewer upstarts among the politicians in the early years of my service. In fact, the very first one I encountered was in my 11th year of service when I was given the charge of Superintendent of Police, Poona city. A year later, a commissionerate was formed in Poona (Pune). The state’s Home Minister, Balasaheb Desai, issued verbal orders to the Commissioner “not to fire” at miscreants who had resorted to looting and burning during a communal clash.

That order conveyed down the line was ignored by me on the second day of the clashes when the riots escalated. That was what finally saved the police from ignominy. When an inquiry into the riots was instituted, the minister, of course, was not prepared to admit to his verbal instructions. His first instinct was to protect his own skin.

Anjana Krishna was very polite while talking to the Deputy CM on the phone of one of his supporters, who had got in touch with him. She asked Pawar to call her on her own mobile phone so that she could be sure that it was the Deputy CM himself who was ordering her to permit sand mining of riverbeds, thus ignoring written orders of the government.

Ironically, the state government is encouraging builders to redevelop even well-constructed and perfectly safe buildings as part of its development agenda. The fact is that ‘eviction’ of residents, even those like me who are awaiting passage to the next world, is a cruel act, based sometimes on the needs of larger families, but more often on sheer greed. The neglect of the old and infirm is intrinsic to this mad rush to redevelop buildings which do not call for such a step.

The state government does not seem to care for the health of citizens, especially the very young, the very old and the sick, who have to endure the steep rise in pollution levels caused by the razing of buildings and the construction activity that follows. It does not think about nature’s revenge when sand is mined indiscriminately from riverbeds. If regulations are in place to prevent such sand mining, loopholes are left by empowering lesser officials to bypass the rules.

Coming back to the young officer who bested a powerful politician, I must give her credit for turning the spotlight on a disturbing phenomenon. Powerful politicians force ‘meek’ bureaucrats and police officers to disregard the laws which they themselves have passed to lull gullible people into believing that they have public health and safety uppermost in their minds. Actually, what they really seek is an avenue to generate funds needed to get the votes that will keep them in power as long as possible.

Anjana seems to have her wits about her. I would never have thought of recording the conversation with any politician, high or low. I do not know how she managed that, but whatever people may say about her methods, the end in this case did justify the means. Politicians seeking to bully officials will now be put on notice.

Anjana’s career must be followed closely. If she continues to adhere to the Constitution and worship at the altar of justice and rule of law, keeping away from the temptations that are bound to come her way in the police service, she would do a great service to the IPS and the people of this great country.