Nashik, March 27 Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare said on Friday that instead of undermining other leaders in the ruling alliance, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should ensure that the investigation in the Ashok Kharat case is taken to its logical conclusion.
Kharat, a self-proclaimed spiritual figure from the Nashik district, who was visited by several state politicians, was arrested in a rape case earlier this week. He has been accused of sexually exploiting several women under the guise of spiritual or occult practices and rituals.
Andhare met Nashik police commissioner Sandeep Karnik and Special Investigation Team chief Tejaswi Satpute here, and demanded that the SIT, which is handling the Kharat case, should also probe former minister Deepak Kesarkar and former state women's commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar.
While Kesarkar, a Shiv Sena leader, has said he visited Kharat's temple at Mirgaon but had no other connection with him, Chakankar, who was one of the trustees of the temple, resigned from her post as the women's commission chairperson after Kharat's arrest.
Speaking to reporters, Andhare said that some people were making a lot of noise about the allocation of dam water to Kharat's orchard when Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray was chief minister, but the water was allocated by then water resources minister Jayant Patil as per the demand of the residents of Mirgaon village.
She sought to know who renewed Kharat's arms license in 2024.
"Fadnavis has been the Home Minister of the state for almost eight-and-a-half years. Why did he not prevent this? Instead of making much noise to undermine leaders in the (BJP-led ruling) alliance, Fadnavis should conduct a thorough inquiry in the case and it should reach its logical conclusion," said Andhare.
Notably, while Chakankar belongs to the ruling ally NCP, pictures of deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde with Kharat have also gone viral.