04 October,2011 08:43 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Investigating officer summons chief complainant Colonel Suresh Patil (Retd) to office to get his written statement; police to seek information on land from three defence authorities
Acting on a complaint filed by Lt Col Suresh Patil (Retd) against the President's proposed retirment home on army land in Khadki, the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) K S Suryavanshi questioned the ex-serviceman for an hour at his office last afternoon.
Not mincing words: Lt Col Suresh Patil (Retd) submits his written
statement to ACP K S Suryavanshi at his Khadki office yesterday.
Pic/Krunal Gosavi
Suryavanshi will now investigate the antecedents of the said land from the defence authorities. These authorities shall be Lt General A K Singh, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Dr A K Kapoor and Dr T Arocayanathan, defence estate officer, Khadki.
Earlier, Patil received police summons on September 30. It stated the inquiry was about the complaint filed by Patil. Patil went to the ACP's office on Sunday and last noon. The actual inquiry was made yesterday. Patil narrated the purpose of his organisation Green Thumb Environment Protection Group under whose banner ex-servicemen demanded that the Khadki land be reserved for retired military men or widows of martyrs.
"I narrated the importance of the land and also gave options that the army land be given to Kargil war jawans or even widows of the martyrs of 26/11 shooting in Mumbai, Ashok Kamte, Hemant Karkare and Tukaram Ombale being the sons of the soil," said Patil. "Pune Southern Command is the biggest cantonment in the country, and the old dilapidated bungalows and land should be used for the housing purposes of the jawans and their families in city. We don't have any personal grievances against the President madam and therefore nobody should misunderstand our demand."
ACP Suryavanshi, appointed to tackle legal issues in Zone IV, said: "I am also asking three defence officials to gather the required information on the land given to the President madam for her retirement home in Khadki. The statement from Col Patil as well as the three defence officials shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Police Meeran Borwankar and Criminal Investigation Department Chief Ashok Dhivre. Further inquiry shall be made by these competent authorities."
Tree planting
Investigating officer ACP Suryavanshi asked Col Patil to pay another visit; not for inquiry, but to plant a tree at the ACP's building. Suryavanshi said that as Patil was the president of an environmental group, it would be proper to invite him for the tree plantation programme in the jurisdiction of Khadki police station. It was decided to plant a four-year old sapling of mango in the land surrounding the ACP's office in Khadki.
