Mumbai: Mumbai BJP president Ameet Satam on Saturday stirred fresh political controversy by demanding a narcoanalysis test on former Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey, alleging that he played a key role in a larger conspiracy aimed at falsely implicating Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in fabricated criminal cases.
Addressing the media, Satam claimed that during the tenure of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led by Uddhav Thackeray, serious misconduct by senior police officials had come to light. He said the period witnessed incidents that severely dented public trust in the police machinery, referring to cases where officers were allegedly involved in grave crimes.
Satam alleged that an organised attempt was made during the MVA regime to trap Devendra Fadnavis, who was then the Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, in false cases with the intention of arresting him. According to Satam, Sanjay Pandey was allegedly instructed to initiate this plan and, in turn, delegated the task to other officers.
He further claimed that two police officials, identified as Laxmikant Patil and Sardar Patil, were allegedly pressured to search for or create cases that could be used to implicate Fadnavis. Satam maintained that these claims are not mere political allegations but are backed by official records.
“The entire chain of events has been documented in the report submitted by former Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla shortly before her retirement,” Satam said, stressing that the contents of the report warrant an in-depth and impartial investigation given the gravity of the accusations.
Calling for tougher action, Satam said a narcoanalysis test of Sanjay Pandey was essential to uncover who was directing him and who stood to benefit from the alleged conspiracy. “The public has the right to know who the real mastermind was and under whose instructions such serious misuse of power was attempted,” he asserted.
Satam also alleged that the MVA government period was marked by a breakdown of law and order, with incidents where police officers themselves were allegedly linked to serious crimes. He pointed out that Pandey has faced investigations by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the NSE scam and was arrested in that case, though he is currently out on bail and the matter remains sub judice.
