Threatening case lodged against whistleblower.

Gitesh Shelke; Pune Mirror; Thursday, April 07, 2011,

Retired policeman accused of creating ruckus in the police department in which he had exposed spare parts scam

Aretired police inspector and Right to Information activist who exposed many cases of graft in the state police department, especially those involving the State Police Motor Transport (MT) Department, was on Tuesday afternoon booked by the Chatuhshrungi police.

He has been accused of creating a ruckus in the MT department’s headquarters located at Aundh and threatening the police officers stationed there. According to the first information report, retired inspector A J Inamdar had gone to the MT headquarters to ask for information that he had sought under RTI. But at the MT office, he was told that the information was not ready.

Annoyed with the delays, Inamdar allegedly started threatening the concerned officers.

Superintendent of police (MT department) Atul Patil lodged the complaint at Chatuhshrungi police station stating that Inamdar allegedly issued threats to him and hit him with a bag containing files.

Patil, in his complaint, said that Inamdar hurled abuses at the officers after he was told that the information he sought was not ready. “Inamdar said that he now resides in Pune and threatened the officers with dire consequences,” the complaint states.

Inamdar, who retired a couple of years ago, has unearthed many corrupt practices by using RTI. On the basis of information acquired under RTI, he had filed several writ petitions, including a spare parts scam in the MT department, in the Bombay High Court.

The State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had investigated the spare parts scam. CID had maintained that the state MT had purchased substandard parts for police vehicles.

Police inspector and investigating officer B S Tele of Chatuhshrungi police station, said that Inamdar had filed many RTI applications with the MT department. “We have demanded details of all the RTI applications filed by him and especially the one which became the bone of contention between the two parties. We have even asked for information from Inamdar,” he said.