Plaint against ‘fake’ vigilance officer Bharatiya Janata Party Shiv Sena Pimpri-Chinchwad WhatsApp Giving a twist to an already strange tale, the unidentified suspect who had allegedly posed as a central vigilance officer and visited various establishments where MP Shivajirao Adhalrao-Patil had disbursed MP funds, has now revealed his identity. Shriram Ashok Pardeshi, an RTI activist from Pimpri and a former(BJP) office-bearer, has also slapped a legal notice against theMP for tarnishing his image by filing a complaint without verifying his (Pardeshi’s) real identity.The activist also claimed that his intention was to verify whether the MP fund was being utilised in a proper manner. Adhalrao Patil had raised a complaint with the Pune rural superintendent of police (SP) on September 20, alleging that a man, posing as a vigilance officer from the central government, has been inquiring at various institutions about the disbursement of MP funds in Shirur constituency.Adhalrao’s complaint, which was widely circulated on social media, claimed that it might be a conspiracy against him by his political rivals, and appealed to people to be on the alert as the alleged culprit might have extortion as his intent. The incident came to light when the alleged fake vigilance officer, along with two others, visited a college in Pabal village near Shirur. They tried to interrogate the principal and asked him to show them the laboratory instruments purchased through the MP fund.Suspicions against Pardeshi surfaced on the basis of his vehicle. The secretary of Bhairavnath Vidya Mandir, in Pabal village near Shirur, raised an alarm on September 18 when he observed that the alleged vigilance officer had arrived on a twowheeler with two pillion riders. Also, when asked to present his identity cards, Pardeshi had allegedly fled.After coming to know about the complaint, Pardeshi who is former secretary ofBharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), served a legal notice to the MP through his advocate. It states that the complaint was filed is with the intention to harass a well-known RTI activist and social worker. “The complaint is false and fabricated,” the notice states.“This complaint has tarnished the image of my client as it is being deliberately circulated on social media sites such as Facebook and. The complaint has had an adverse effect on his profession, too,” said advocate Wajed Khan Bidkar, who is representing Pardeshi.Pardeshi’s notice also clarifies that he is not asking for any monetary compensation, but does want an apology.Speaking to Mirror, Pardeshi said, “Being a common citizen, I have the fundamental right to know whether the MP fund is being utilised fruitfully or not. I have cross-checked the information I got under the RTI by visiting various establishments and came to know that most of the fund is not being utilised by the junior officers. On many occasions, money meant for development work has been used to construct temples.”“Fearing exposure, the MP’s party workers have cooked up the conspiracy and tried to sue me in this fabricated case,” claimed Pardeshi.When contacted, Gajanan Tompe, Khed sub-divisional police officer (SDPO), who is investigating the case, said, “We have traced the suspect. After a thorough inquiry of the complainant, we will initiate further steps. We have not detained him yet.”

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