Police should be allowed to investigate charges against Dhananjay Munde: Sharad Pawar

NCP President Sharad Pawar on Friday said that the police should be allowed to investigate the charges against Maharashtra’s social justice and special assistance minister Dhananjay Munde.

Munde has been accused of rape by a Mumbai-based singer Renu Sharma, with whose sister Karuna Sharma he has a relationship and had sired two children.

Pawar’s statement came a day after he termed the charges as “serious” but said that he would take a call after consulting the party’s important functionaries and leaders.

Munde is close to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Pawar.

Pawar, a four-time Maharashtra chief minister and three-time union minister, said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government will not interfere in the investigations.

"Yesterday when I commented on Dhananjay Munde issue, I said that the issue was serious but then certain facts were not in the public domain, I came to know that there was a similar complaint against the same lady by different political party leaders," Pawar said referring to BJP’s Krishna Hedge and MNS’s Manish Dhuri.

"Let Mumbai Police do its investigation first. We will think of probable action based on whatever comes in the investigation," Pawar said.

However, he went on to add that what the NCP has suggested is that there should be a lady officer of the rank of assistant commissioner of police who should be part of the probe team.

State's home minister Anil Deshmukh said that law will take its own course. "Everyone is same before law...'santri' or 'mantri'...the matter would be investigated as per law," added Deshmukh, who is of the NCP.

Meanwhile, Renu Sharma’s lawyer Ramesh Tripathi said that he has been receiving death threats and has received multiple calls. "I have informed the police accordingly," he said and sought security. "The allegations of honey-trap against my client are baseless," he said, adding that the allegations are being made to "destroy the main case" and divert attention.