Maha minister being linked to woman's death not missing: Ajit

Maharashtra Deputy Chief MinisterAjit Pawar on Thursday dismissed the opposition's claims thatstate forest minister Sanjay Rathod, whose name is beinglinked to the death of a woman in Pune, has been missing.

Talking to reporters here, Pawar said he spoke toRathod, who is also the guardian minister of Yavatmal, onThursday about the COVID-19 situation in the district locatedin the state's Vidarbha region.

Some social media posts and the BJP have claimed thatthe 23-year-old woman, who died after falling from a buildingin Hadapsar area of Pune on February 8, was in a relationshipwith a cabinet minister in the state.

On Wednesday, former state power minister and BJPleader Chandrashekhar Bavankule alleged that the person underscanner is state forest minister Sanjay Rathod ''who is stillmissing and nobody in the state government knows hiswhereabouts''.

When asked about such claims on Thursday, Pawar said,''Who said he (Rathod) has disappeared? I spoke to him todayitself that we may have to take a decision to impose(stricter) lockdown there (in Yavatmal) as the situation hasbecome serious there.'' Bawankule on Wednesday alleged the state governmentwas trying to suppress the case of the woman's death.

According to Pune's Wanwadi police who have registereda case of accidental death, there was no suicide note.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who heads the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Shiv Sena, NCPand Congress, has already promised a detailed probe into thecase and action against the guilty.