- A conversation between between Maharashtra's Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and Indian Police Service officer Anjana Krishna has gone viral, sparking political uproar and public debate.
- The call, which occurred on August 31 and was placed via a phone handed over by an NCP worker, reportedly included the Deputy CM’s assertion of authority.
- Undeterred, Pawar escalated the matter by switching to a video call and appeared to press further for the action to be halted.
A video capturing a heated conversation between Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Indian Police Service officer Anjana Krishna has gone viral, sparking political uproar and public debate.
In the footage, Pawar is heard addressing an IPS officer, identified as Anjana Krishna, who was responding to a case of illegal extraction of murrum soil—commonly used in road construction—in Solapur’s Kurdu village. The call, which occurred on August 31 and was placed via a phone handed over by an NCP worker, reportedly included the Deputy CM’s assertion of authority. He allegedly said, “I am the deputy chief minister, and giving you the order to stop it,” urging the officer to cease the action she was undertaking.
Krishna, newly posted as Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) in Karmala and originally from Kerala, refused to acknowledge Pawar’s voice and requested that he call her directly on her mobile. Undeterred, Pawar escalated the matter by switching to a video call and appeared to press further for the action to be halted.
During the exchange, Pawar questioned the officer’s boldness—“how dare you”—and suggested she would recognize him if she saw his face, urging her to take court action instead.
NCP officials responded to the controversy by indicating that Pawar might have used stern words merely to placate party workers, rather than intending to obstruct law enforcement. Sunil Tatkare, head of NCP’s Maharashtra unit, suggested that Pawar’s actions were meant to defuse, not derail, the operation.
Still, critics seized on the incident. The Shiv Sena (UBT), for one, condemned the call, accusing Pawar of threatening an IPS officer and insisting he resign. Party leader Sanjay Raut denounced the use of political power to hinder official duty, calling it a betrayal of the public trust.
This clash highlights the broader tension between political authority and administrative autonomy, and raises pressing questions about the influence of politics over law enforcement in Maharashtra.