Ajit Pawar-IPS call row: NCP MLC retracts X post critical of officer after asking UPSC to verify her caste

Amol Mitkari wrote to UPSC seeking verfication of her documents. He later issued an apology for his remarks on social media. But, he hasn't clarified if he has withdrawn the letter, too.

NCP(AP) MLC Amol Mitkari and his now-deleted post on X. | X/@amolmitkari22

Mumbai: With Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar facing criticism for purportedly chiding an IPS officer while she was on duty, his party NCP(Ajit Pawar) MLC Amol Mitkari has written to the Union Public Service Commission, asking it to verify the authenticity of the sub-divisional police officer’s caste and education certificates.

Mitkari wrote to the commission on 5 September, stating, “A doubt has been raised regarding her (IPS officer Anjana Krishna’s) documents and authenticity. So, I would request you to kindly enquire regarding the same.”

However, he later deleted an X post critical of the officer and expressed regret. But there was no clarity if he has withdrawn the letter too. ThePrint tried to reach him, but the calls went unanswered. The report will be updated if and when a response is received.

In the now-deleted X post, he had blasted the officer, asking if it was right on her part to put the phone on speaker when the state’s finance minister and deputy chief minister called her.

“Is this stunt-baazi right? Dada (Ajit Pawar) always respects bureaucracy. But because of such officers, it raises a doubt over their post,” Mitkari had said.

In a video, Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar (inset) is heard speaking to Anjana Krishna, a SDPO in Solapur’s Karmala, who was stopping the illegal excavation of ‘murrum’ in Kurdu village | X

A day later, he made another post on X. “I unconditionally retract the tweet I made regarding the Solapur incident and express my apology. This was not my party’s position, but my personal position. I have the highest respect for our police force and the officers who serve honestly. I completely agree with the position of the party’s senior leadership.”

Mitkari’s letter to the UPSC comes amid a controversy over a phone call between the deputy chief minister and Krishna, the IPS officer. A video of the conversation has been widely shared on social media in which Pawar is purportedly chiding the sub-divisional police officer from Solapur, allegedly at the instance of his party workers.

While the NCP(AP) has come out in Ajit Pawar’s defence since the video surfaced online, no party leader has issued remarks critical of Anjana Krishna.

The opposition has, however, targeted Pawar, and now they are attacking Mitkari too.

“A party that claims to be on the path of Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar, if that party’s member speaks about an officer’s caste, it is condemnable. How is it that Mitkari got reminded of her caste now?” Senior Congress leader Yashomati Thakur wrote on her social media page.

NCP(SP) MP Supriya Sule alleged that the members of the ruling dispensation “attacking the credentials of IPS Anjana Krishna is a grave assault on our Constitution”.

“When elected officials orchestrate character assassination, it undermines Rule of Law, Article 14 (right to equality) and 311 (protection to civil servants from arbitrary dismissal, removal, or reduction in rank). Such systematic targeting of a woman officer violates constitutional guarantees of gender equality also. All members of the Executive must be protected from political intimidation to uphold the ‘Idea of India’ our Constitution enshrines. We expect that appropriate action will be taken to preserve the dignity of public office and independence of the civil services,” she said.

सोलापुर घटने संदर्भात केलेला ट्वीट मी बिनशर्थ मागे घेऊन दिलगिरी व्यक्त करतो.ही माझ्या पक्षाची भुमिका नव्हती तर माझी वैक्तिक भुमिका होती .आपले पोलिस दल व प्रामाणिकपणे सेवा करणाऱ्या अधिकाऱ्यांबद्दल मला सर्वोच्च आदर आहे. मी पक्षाच्या वरिष्ठ नेतृत्वाच्या भुमिकेशी पूर्णपणे सहमत आहे.

— आ. अमोल गोदावरी रामकृष्ण मिटकरी (@amolmitkari22) September 6, 2025

While Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) questioned Ajit Pawar, its key ally NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who is the nephew of Ajit Pawar, came out in his uncle’s defense.

“For someone who is new, he or she might misunderstand Ajit dada’s normal tone and think he is angry or irritated. His work and style, and nature is known to Maharashtra for the last 35-40 years,” Rohit wrote on a social media post.

“In this incident, there was no mistake by the woman IPS officer. But targeting Ajit Pawar is also wrong. Even if we are in opposition, my nature is to call a spade a spade. And Ajit Pawar should also realise that his allies are also trying to trap him.”

The controversy

The conversation happened earlier this week when the officer had gone to the Kurdu village in Madha taluka, where the gram panchayat was undertaking the excavation of ‘murrum’, which is used for road construction. Some villagers apprehended that the work could be illegal, and the revenue department visited the spot.

शिव-शाहू-फुले-आंबेडकर यांच्या विचारावर आपला पक्ष चालत असल्याचे सांगणाऱ्या राष्ट्रवादी काँग्रेसच्या एका नेत्याने आयपीएस अधिकाऱ्याच्या जातीवर येणे निंदनीय आहे. मिटकरींना कृष्णा यांच्या दस्तावेजाची आताच कशी काय आठवण झाली?@amolmitkari22 pic.twitter.com/MWDVQNhhgS

— Adv. Yashomati Thakur (@AdvYashomatiINC) September 5, 2025

There was an altercation between the administrative officers and villagers involved in excavation, which included local NCP taluka head Baba Jagtap. The administrative officers then called the police for protection, and the IPS officer reached the spot. Jagtap then called Ajit Pawar on his phone and handed it over to Krishna. This phone call conversation in an open field was recorded by a villager.

“I am the Deputy Chief Minister speaking to you… I order you to stop the action… Go and tell your Dr Shridhar (a senior official) that the Deputy CM has ordered for the action to be stopped because now the condition in Mumbai is not good and we have to give importance to Mumbai currently. Tell him my name,” Pawar purportedly tells Krishna in the video.

In response, Krishna asks him to call on her number. He then raises his voice: “Ek minute, ek minute, main tere upar action lunga. Aap mujhe direct call karne bolte hai (One minute … I will take action against you. You tell me to directly call you).”

The IPS officer tells him that she would not know who she is speaking to exactly.

And to this, Pawar said, “I myself am talking to you. And you are telling me to call you directly. You don’t understand this much? Can you see me (on video call)? I will give you my number… Can you recognise my face? … Give me your number, I will call you directly.”

Pawar then calls her directly on video call on her mobile and asks her to stop the action.

(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)