Pooja Chavan case: Maharashtra forest minister Sanjay Rathod calls it quits!

Mumbai, Mar 1: Involved in Pooja Chavan death case, Maharashtra forest minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Rathod resigned from the ministerial post after meeting with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray at Varsha bungalow, CM’s official residence. He has also demanded a "fair investigation" in the matter.

 

 

Rathod has been in limelight given his connection with the death of TikTok star Pooja Chavan (22) who allegedly ended her life by jumping off a building in Pune on February 8.

 

After submitting his resignation to the Chief Minister, Sanjay Rathod said, "I have submitted my resignation to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. The media and others tried to spoil my and my community’s image. I want a fair investigation in this case.

 

 

"They (opposition) are warning us that they won’t allow the budget session to function, I believe in Ambekar’s Constitution. The way the opposition is behaving, I have distanced myself from all this for a fair investigation. Let the police investigate it," he said. Besides, Sanjay Rathod informed, "I have tendered my resignation to CM Uddhav as a Minister, not as an MLA."

 

Last week, former Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis hit out at the state government over Rathod's alleged involvement in the murder of a woman, saying that the government was more interested in celebrity tweets.

 

 

On February 8, Chavan had allegedly jumped off a building in Pune to end her life. Hailing from Parli town in Beed, Pooja had gone to Pune for an English speaking course. A couple of days after her death, some of her audio clips went viral on social media which the opposition took up and pointed fingers at the Maharashtra Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod, demanding an investigation into the case.

 

The BJP has alleged that Sanjay Rathod is connected with the mysterious death of the woman in Pune. However, Rathod had denied all allegations.

 

As per procedure, an accidental death (AD) case was registered with the Wanawadi police station in Pune. No complaint has so far been registered by Chavan's family. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Hemant Kumar Nagrale had said in a press conference that the Police are treating the Pooja Chavan suicide case as a crime and are investigating accordingly.