The video of the exchange between the Minister and the woman officer have gone viral on the internet and has sparked a controversy.
According to news agency PTI, the clip is reportedly from two days ago. In the video, Pawar can be seen directing the sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Anjana Krishna to halt action against the illegal excavation.
The incident unfolded in Kurdu village in Solapur, where Krishna was investigating complaints of unauthorised murrum excavation linked to a road construction project. The murrum soil is commonly used as a sub-base and filling material in constructing road.
‘How dare you?’ asks Ajit PawarÂ
The matter started when National Congress Party (NCP) worker Baba Jagtap handed his phone to officer Krishna after calling Ajit Pawar, who is also the NCP President.
“Suno, mai deputy chief minister bol raha hoon aur mai aapko aadesh deta hoon ki aap wo rukwao (Listen, I am the deputy chief minister speaking, and I order you to stop your action),” Pawar said, while further giving a reason that the woman officer should cite for stopping the proceeding.
When Krishna did not appear to recognise his voice, she asked him to call directly on her phone number.
Hearing this, Pawar allegedly raised his tone and said, “How dare you? I will take action against you. You will at least recognise my face, won’t you?” He then asked the officer for her number.
The two then reportedly switched to a video call, and Pawar reiterated to stop the operation, as per News18.
Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar under fire after a video of him purportedly ‘rebuking’ a woman IPS officer over excavation in a village in Solapur, goes viral
News18’s @kotakyesha with details @kritsween | #Maharashtra #AjitPawar pic.twitter.com/PjeGQ1L7oO— News18 (@CNNnews18) September 5, 2025
NCP defends Pawar, claims video ‘leaked’Â
Reacting to the controversy, NCP’s Maharashtra unit president Sunil Tatkare said that the video was “deliberately leaked”.
“Ajit Dada may have chided the IPS officer to placate party workers. He didn’t mean to stop the action completely,” Tatkare was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Ajit Pawar is known for his straight talk and never supports any illegal activity. He perhaps meant to stop the action briefly just to defuse the situation,” Tatkare further defended the Deputy CM.
FIR against NCP workersÂ
Hours after the video surfaced, police filed an FIR at the Kuruwadi Police Station against 10-15 NCP workers, including Baba Jagtap, for allegedly obstructing a government officer during duty, as per News18.
The case has been registered under Section 9.15 of the Environment Protection Act and multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 132, 189(2), 189(3), 189(5), 303(2), and 3(5).
