Amravati pharmacist murder: SID report sought on ex-CM Uddhav Thackeray’s role in ‘suppressing’ case

Independent MLA Ravi Rana says the then CM, under ‘pressure’ from a colleague in the Congress, asked police to classify Kolhe murder case as ‘robbery’  

Accusing former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray of reportedly putting ‘pressure’ on the Amravati police machinery to change course of the probe in the murder of veterinary pharmacist Umesh Kolhe, Independent MLA Ravi Rana on Friday demanded that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) be constituted to probe a phone call made by Mr. Thackeray to the Amravati Police Commissioner with regards to the crime.

The demand is being seen as yet another attempt on part of the ruling Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis dispensation to put the Opposition ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ (MVA) coalition (of the NCP, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and the Congress), particularly the Thackeray family, in a spot.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Rana, an MLA from Amravati’s Badnera Assembly segment, alleged that Mr. Thackeray, under ‘pressure’ from a colleague in the Congress, had called the Amravati Commissioner of Police (Dr. Arti Singh) in order to get her to allegedly change the course of the Kolhe murder case by classifying it as “a robbery”.   

“Umesh Kolhe had received death threats because of his ‘Hindutva’ beliefs. But the Amravati Commissioner of Police [CP] did not take any notice of it. Mr. Thackeray, on the urging of a Congressman, had called her after the crime to change the ‘murder’ case to that of ‘robbery’. That was when me, along with my wife MP Navneet Rana, approached Home Minister Amit Shah to tell him that CM Thackeray was trying to suppress the probe, that an NIA team was sent to investigate,” said Mr. Rana, who supports the ruling dispensation of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He said that when the NIA team landed in Amravati and commenced their probe, it came to light that Umesh Kolhe (who was killed on June 21 this year) was “murdered” as a result of a planned conspiracy.

Minister Shambhuraj Desai, in his reply to the call to attention motion moved by Mr. Rana, said that the state intelligence department (SID) would be tasked with preparing a report in the case within a fortnight.

“The SID report will be handed to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the Home department, and a suitable decision will be taken after that. Detailed information about the Umesh Kolhe case will be taken from Mr. Rana as he has objected to the functioning of the Amravati police commissioner as well,” Mr. Desai said.