A woman doctor from Jalgaon district has written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleging she was "harassed" by the state Health Minister Deepak Sawant's Personal Secretary, a charge denied by the official.
Sawant's Personal Secretary (PS) Sunil Mali has rubbished her charges stating it as a "conspiracy to defame him".
The 26-year-old doctor had recently claimed to have fully digitised a primary health centre (PHC), in terms of equipment and data, at Patonda village in Jalgaon district of the state.
"Mali asked inappropriate and personal questions from me for around two hours in the minister's ante-chamber, when I went to Sawant to give him a presentation on replicating her project across 1,800 PHCs across the state," the doctor alleged.
"In March, during the Budget session, I had given a presentation to Sawant to replicate the project across the state's 1,800 PHCs. After the presentation, the minister's PS Sunil Mali kept me in the minister's ante-chamber for about two hours and asked me about my personal life against my wishes," she alleged.
"He tried to convince me that everyone needs a godfather in the government to get their projects implemented. I have complained to the Chief Minister and demanded his immediate ouster," she claimed.
Asked why she did not raise the issue for three months, the doctor said she feared that she would be transferred from the Patonda PHC.
"Now when some people have come forward to complain against him for his alleged involvement in corruption in transfer of officials, I mustered up the courage to speak up," she said.
Meanwhile, Mali said, "It is a conspiracy to defame me. All allegations levelled against me are baseless.
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Meanwhile, a magistrate's court in Wai extended the police
custody of Pol and the co-accused Jyoti Mandre till August 25.
No lawyer appeared for the duo, as the local bar association has decided not to take up their brief.
Seeking further police custody, public prosecutor R P Sonawane said the investigators were yet to recover the gold jewellery and other valuables which Pol might have robbed from his victims, and also the vehicle which he used while committing the murders.
Families of at least three missing persons from the area had approached the police suspecting that Pol might have something to do with the disappearance of these persons, Sonawane informed the court.
"Police need to interrogate Pol in this regard," he said.
Magistrate R K Thorat then extended the police custody of the duo.
The courtroom was brimming with people from the town who had come to catch a glimpse of 'Dr Death'.
When the judge asked Pol if police had ill-treated him, he said no, and remained silent otherwise.
