Eknath Khadse forced me to implicate Gavande: Cop in sting over MIDC land scam

Maharashtra revenue minister Eknath Khadse has been embroiled in yet another controversy. In a sting operation conducted by news channel India Today, a police officer is purportedly seen claiming that revenue minister Eknath Khadse forced him to file a complaint against Hemant Gavande, a whistleblower in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) land scam.

Khadse could not be contacted for his response.

Police inspector Hiraman Shirsath, attached with Shivaji Nagar police station, in a secretly filmed video, seen claiming that Khadse forced him to “implicate” Gavande in January 2015 by asking the official to file a complaint related to “land grabbing”.

Gavande is facing a police case for allegedly forging documents to ‘grab’ land belonging to the Agriculture College. It was Gavande who first blew the lid off alleged irregularities.

Khadse’s wife and son-in-law purchased the three-acre plot at MIDC in Bhosari at Rs 3.75 crores from Abbas Ukani on April 28 this year.

“What he (Khadse) told me, I wrote it down and gave it to all departments in writing that he asked me to file a police complaint, please give me the details. The truth is there in it, nothing else,” Shirsat purportedly claimed in the video when the reporter asked him if there was pressure from the minister.

Khadse had previously claimed that Gavande has been after him because he was facing a case for forging documents to grab the land.