At cop event, Maha Dy CM speaks of officers using costly cars

Maharashtra Deputy Chief MinisterAjit Pawar on Friday took a swipe at some officers in thepolice force stating they had come for a recent meeting inexpensive cars, some of which had been given by a businessman.Pawar was speaking at a function in the Pune policeheadquarters where stolen gold was returned to rightfulowners.Calling it an issue that needed some thinking, Pawarsaid one of the cars in which an officer came for the meetingthat took place in Mumbai cost as high as Rs 35 lakh.I wondered when did we buy such vehicles for thepolice force.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief MinisterAjit Pawar on Friday took a swipe at some officers in thepolice force stating they had come for a recent meeting inexpensive cars, some of which had been given by a businessman.

Pawar was speaking at a function in the Pune policeheadquarters where stolen gold was returned to rightfulowners.

Calling it an issue that needed some thinking, Pawarsaid one of the cars in which an officer came for the meetingthat took place in Mumbai cost as high as Rs 35 lakh.

''I wondered when did we buy such vehicles for thepolice force. I later found out some businessman had giventhese cars. Using such cars given by businessmen, that too ongovernment duty, is a matter that we need to think about,'' thedeputy CM said.

''We had a discussion on this issue with the CM andadditional chief secretary. The (state) home minister travelsin a normal car and officers travel in cars worth Rs 35 lakh.

How does this happen,'' he asked.

Pawar said one had to follow rules when in governmentservice and on government duty.

Advising people to be careful about their social mediausage as it also gave clues to thieves, Pawar said ''People gooutstation for picnics etc, put photographs on social mediainstantly, and thieves get to know that the entire family isout and rob the home. So post photographs once you come home.'' Expressing displeasure at a history-sheeter, GajananMarne, and his supporters bursting crackers and creatingnuisance after the former was released from jail recently,Pawar told police ''such incidents should not happen in thefuture''.

He went on to say that criminals must fear the policeand not common citizens.