VVMC dismisses two engineers whose video of enjoying party with land mafia went viral

Mumbai: The Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation (VVMC) on Monday terminated two of its engineers after a video went viral showing them dancing with women in a party organised by a land mafia. The engineers, working on a contract basis in the encroachments department, asserted that the video was eight months old and claimed they were being blackmailed by extortionists threatening to publish the footage on social media.

The two engineers were Abhinanta Bhim Reddy from Pelhar (Vasai East) ward and Milind Shirsat, an engineer from Chandansar (Nalasopara East,) ward. The video showed them dancing with women in a pub called “Pankha Fast” in Vasai.

Following the circulation of the video among VVMC officials, an inquiry was initiated on Friday, leading to their termination on Monday. The probe revealed that the engineers were socialising with individuals they were assigned to take action against.

Ramesh Manale, deputy commissioner of VVMC, said, “The men have tarnished the image of the Corporation by going to parties with the land mafia.” During the inquiry, Reddy and Shirsat claimed the video was eight months old, filmed after their duty hours. They contended that the women in the video were their friends. However, people who wanted to defame them had shot the video blackmailed them and extorted lakhs of rupees from them, they added.

Reddy admitted that he had paid the blackmailer because he did not want to be defamed. They said they along with the women would file appropriate complaints with the police for the charges of extortion against the blackmailers.

In 2017, 12 civic engineers faced similar action after a video of them dancing at a public party organised by a contractual engineer of the corporation went viral, resulting in their suspension for tarnishing the municipal corporation’s image.