PI accepts plaint against minister, shunted in hours

Nagpur: Within a few hours after he accepted complaint against energy minister and others in connection with a man’s suicide over Rs40,000 electricity bill, senior inspector Dipak Sakhre was on Tuesday removed as in-charge of Yashodhara Nagar police station. He has been shunted to traffic branch of the police.
Shocked over inflated power bill, one Leeladhar Gaidhane, who worked at a petrol pump, had set himself on fire at his Pahune Layout residence in Yashodhara Nagar on August 8.
The victim’s wife, accompanied by Vidarbha Rajya Andolan Samiti (VRAS) members, had on Tuesday afternoon lodged a complaint with Yashodhara Nagar police against energy minister Nitin Raut, secretary of the concerned ministry and officials of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) holding them responsible for Leeladhar’s suicide. The victim’s wife claimed that Leeladhar, working on a salary of Rs6,000, was perturbed over the exorbitant bill which he was unable to pay.
Soon thereafter, police brass swung into action and the transfer order landed at Sakhre’s desk at around 7.30pm.
Additional CP Nilesh Bharne said Sakhre’s transfer was an administrative decision related to law and order and not any particular case. “There were serious law and order issues cropping up and other factors were also taken into consideration before signing the transfer order. There was no political interference,” he said.
Sources said there were several complaints against Sakhre. “A group clash over erecting flagpole had taken place recently apart from other issues,” said a senior official.
When TOI contacted Sakhre for his version, he opted to toe the line of his seniors.
VRAS representative Ram Neole, who had taken up the issue of suicide over inflated electricity bill, sounded shocked.