Devendra Fadnavis seeks explanation over Wadhawan family visiting Mahabaleshwar amid lockdown

BJP leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday took a jibe at the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government after 23 people, members of the Wadhawan family of DHFL Group, were placed under institutional quarantine for violating COVID-19 lockdown orders.

The 23 people had travelled to the Wadhawan's farmhouse in Mahabaleshwar from Khandla amid a nationwide lockdown.

"No lockdowns for mighty and rich in Maharashtra? One can spend holidays in Mahabaleshwar with official permission from the police. It is not possible that a senior IPS officer would do such gross mistake knowing the consequences on his own," Fadnavis tweeted.

Further, seeking an explanation over the incident, Fadnavis in a subsequent tweet said, "With whose order or blessings was this done? Mr. CM and HM, you owe us an explanation."

The 23 members of the Wadhawan family have been put under institutional quarantine by the local police in Mahabaleshwar.

State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had earlier said an inquiry will be conducted into how 23 members of the people of the Wadhawan family got permission to travel from Khandala to Mahabaleshwar.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya also wrote to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, seeking a probe into their getting "special permission" and "VIP treatment" from the Maharashtra government.

"Request to order an inquiry on how and why the Maharashtra Government issued special passes/permission and gave VIP treatment to Wadhwan brothers to travel from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar in a convoy. It may be noted that they are on bail in DHFL/Yes Bank Fraud case," read Somaiya's letter.

Sources said the permission letter was issued by Principal Secretary, Special, in Home Department. It mentions the number of five cars and also lists the names of persons, who will be in each car.

The letter said that they were known to the signatory and were his family friends and were travelling from Khandala to Mahableshwar for "family emergency." It sought cooperation to allow them to reach the destination.

DHFL promoters Kapil and Dheeraj Wadhawan had not appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) last month in connection with the probe against Yes Bank promoter Rana Kapoor and others for money laundering. Kapil Wadhawan had apparently cited coronavirus pandemic as the reason for his inability to join the investigation.