Pooja Chavan ‘suicide’ case: Inquiry on, no pressure on cops, says Anil Deshmukh

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Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday said there was no pressure on the police in the probe into the alleged suicide of a woman in Pune, which the opposition BJP has been claiming has a link to a state minister. Some social media posts have claimed the 23-year-old woman, who died after falling from a building in Pune’s Hadapsar area on February 8, was in a relationship with a cabinet minister in the state. Speaking to reporters after being discharged from hospital post recovery from the coronavirus infection, Deshmukh said an inquiry into the incident will be conducted as per rules.

“There is no question of pressure from anyone. The chief minister has already said the inquiry will be conducted as per rules. There is no truth in the allegations made by the opposition,” the minister added. Replying to a query on a probe into tweets by renowned figures who supported the Centre after several tweets by international personalities backing the farmers’ protests, Deshmukh said his statement on the issue was “misinterpreted”.

“I had stated that an inquiry be conducted against the BJP IT Cell on celebrity tweets. But it was shown in the media as if I had asked for a probe against legends like Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar, something I had never said. There is no question of an inquiry against them,” the minister asserted.

A preliminary investigation into the issue is underway and, so far, 12 names, comprising BJP IT Cell functionaries and social media ‘influencers’, have come up, Deshmukh said. He also brushed aside questions raised by the wife of GN Saibaba, a former Delhi University professor serving a life term in Nagpur Central jail for Maoist links, on the latter’s treatment after he was detected with COVID-19.

Jail authorities are taking proper care of Saibaba’s health, the minister said. the incident took place. The fire started around 4.10 pm, a police personnel said, adding that eight fire engines and six water tankers were rushed to the spot.