MUMBAI: Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday questioned NCP MLA Rohit Pawar for over 11 hours in a money laundering case in connection with the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam as his party supporters shouted slogans throughout the day. ED summoned him again on February 1.
After leaving ED office, Rohit addressed his supporters, saying, “Pawar saheb (NCP chief Sharad Pawar) supports those who fight, not those who run away. I request you all to be ready for a long struggle.”
Wednesday turned out to be a show of strength for Rohit, who first met his uncle Sharad Pawar at the NCP office and took his blessings before walking to ED office – about 100 meters away – with his aunt, MP Supriya Sule, around 11 am hour Hundreds of NCP supporters gathered outside the party office. The police put up barricades to prevent them from entering ED office. Rohit left ED office after 10 pm.
Sule and some leaders waited all day for his return, except for taking short breaks. Several posters of Rohit Pawar have appeared in Ballard Estate where NCP and ED offices are situated. The posters read: “Despite the (ED) notice, Rohit will not change his ideology. Maharashtra will not bow down to Delhi.”
About 250 policemen, including riot control police, were deployed to control the crowds. Around evening, as the supporters became aggressive and tried to remove the barricades, Sule asked them to keep peace. Sule said, “Rohit will give a fight. People love and respect a leader who fights against the establishment.”
Sharad Pawar stationed himself all day at NCP office waiting for Rohit’s return. When Sharad Pawar was asked about his party leaders’ statements about ED action against opposition leaders ahead of elections on instructions from the ruling party, Pawar said, “We don’t care, we will fight it.”
ED is investigating a money laundering case against Rohit Pawar based on an FIR registered by Mumbai police in MSCB loan scam. Earlier, cops filed a closure report before court giving a clean chit to those involved in the case. After CM Eknath Shinde formed the government along with BJP in 2022, Mumbai police filed an application before a court stating that they want to re-investigate Rohit and his MLA uncle Ajit in the scam.