Maha minister linked to woman’s death resigns

MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Sanjay Rathod, facing flak from the opposition BJP after being linked to a woman’s death, on Sunday resigned from the state cabinet.

Rathod made the announcement after submitting his resignation to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the president of his Shiv Sena party.

After submitting his resignation, Rathod said, “I have submitted my resignation to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. The media and others tried to spoil my and my community’s image. I want a fair investigation in this case. They (opposition) are warning us that they won’t allow the budget session to function, I believe in Ambekar’s Constitution. The way the opposition is behaving, I have distanced myself from all this for a fair investigation. Let the police investigate it.” “There has been a lot of dirty politics over the issue of the woman’s death,” he added.

Rathod, who holds the forest portfolio, was facing allegations of complicity in the death of Puja Chavan (23), a resident of Beed district, who was found dead in Pune on February 8, apparently after falling off from the building in which she lived.

Talking to reporters after meeting the chief minister at his official residence Varsha, Rathod

SUBMITTING HIS RESIGNATION, RATHOD SAID THERE HAS BEEN A LOT OF DIRTY POLITICS OVER THE ISSUE OF THE WOMAN’S DEATH

said he had resigned to facilitate a free and fair probe.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said the resignation of the minister wasn’t enough and demanded that an FIR should be filed against him.

Fadnavis also targeted Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rathod, who resigned as state cabinet minister on Sunday after facing flak from the opposition BJP over his name being linked to a woman’s death.

“Despite evidence in the form of video and audio clips, there is no FIR against Rathod. I will not blame Rathod, but the higher ups for shielding him,” he said, without naming anyone.

The police official conducting the probe into the case should be immediately suspended, the BJP leader said. The BJP has accused Rathod of having links with the woman after his purported photographs, audio and video clips with her went viral on social media.