Have highest respect for cops: Ajit Pawar on rebuking woman officer in viral video

Ajit Pawar, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, is embroiled in a controversy after a video of him allegedly pressing a female IPS officer to stop action against unlawful soil extraction in a Solapur hamlet went viral on social media. In response to the widely shared video, Pawar wrote on X that he believes “the highest respect for our police force and its officers, including the women officers”.

“I have the highest respect for our police force and its officers, including the women officers who serve with distinction and courage and I value the rule of law above all. I remain firmly committed to transparent governance and to ensuring that every illegal activity, including sand mining, is dealt with strictly as per the law,” he added.

Anjana Krishna, a subdivisional police officer, had gone to investigate reports of unlawful “murrum” excavation, a material commonly used in road building, when the event reportedly happened two days ago in Kurdu village in Solapur. Local NCP employees had to step in after villagers and officials got into a physical altercation. In the video, party worker Baba Jagtap is seen giving his phone to Krishna after making a direct call to Ajit Pawar.

In the video, shared by many on social media, Pawar is heard speaking to Krishna from Jagtap’s phone. “I can understand what you are saying, but I am unable to figure out if I am talking to the Deputy Chief Minister. Can you please call me on my number directly?” the IPS officer asked.

Her reply apparently made Pawar furious. He shot back, threatening action against the IPS officer. “Ek min, main tere upar action lunga (I will take action against you. I am myself talking to you and you are asking me to call you directly. You want to see me. Take my number and make a WhatsApp call. Itna aapko daring hua hai kya (How dare you?)” Pawar said.

Later, the Deputy Chief Minister uses a video call to warn the police to cease the action since she does not recognize his voice. Krishna said that she was unaware that she was addressing Pawar. She is then asked if she recognizes him by face by the NCP leader.

The Nationalist Congress Party defended Ajit Pawar, claiming his remarks were misinterpreted. “Ajit Dada may have chided the IPS officer to pacify party workers. He didn’t mean to halt the action completely,” said state party chief Sunil Tatkare, stressing that Pawar never supports illegal activities.

Party spokesperson Anand Paranjpe added that the video was being given the wrong colour. “In a democracy, even workers’ grievances must be heard. Pawar only tried to manage the situation. The clip is being misrepresented,” he said.

Furthermore, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale also came to Pawar’s defence and said, “I think Ajit Pawar is a very strong leader and a good administrator. He later talked about what happened. He did that mistakenly because he did not know she was an officer. He also admitted that what he did was not right. So this is not a matter of dispute.”

The sub-divisional officer, DSP Krishna, the tehsildar, and other officials involved in the operation have not commented publicly, stating only that the situation is being investigated. To date, no police report has been filed. The NCP has also claimed that the video was purposefully released in order to politically disparage Pawar.