Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has defended Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who is facing flak over a viral video that showed him rebuking a woman IPS officer and asking her to stop action against illegal soil excavation, reported news agency PTI.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur on Friday, Bawankule said Pawar`s phone call to the officer was being misinterpreted.

"When you talk about such phone calls, the person on the other side does not know the exact matter. This has happened with me many times as well," he said, stressing that Pawar was not the kind of leader who would pressure officials for unlawful work, reported PTI.