Ajit Pawar warns against political meddling in Nitin Desai suicide probe

Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Minister M. P. Lodha, BJP Mumbai President Ashish Shelar, other political leaders and film personalities paid their homage to Nitin Chandrakant Desai, here on Friday.

The dignitaries went to the Sir J. J. Hospital where Desai’s body was kept after the autopsy late on Wednesday which confirmed his ‘death by hanging’ -- hours after he was found hanging on a set in the ND Art Works Pvt. Ltd. in Khalapur, Raigad on August 2 morning.

Speaking with mediapersons, Pawar said that as per the assurance of Deputy CM and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis in the legislature on Thursday, Desai’s suicide and the circumstances leading to it shall be probed ‘thoroughly’.

“I want to make it clear that it will be a fair and impartial probe covering all aspects resulting in the (Desai’) extreme step. No political interference of any kind from anyone will be tolerated,” warned Pawar.

This would include the top officials of the Edelweiss group of companies against whom Desai has purportedly named in a series of audio-recordings he left behind in his studio before his suicide.

Between 2016-2018, Desai had availed loans of Rs 181 crore, which piled up to Rs 252-crore by 2022, and the Mumbai NCLT had initiated insolvency resolution proceedings in late-July.

Soon after the tributes, Desai’s body was taken in an ambulance to the Khalapur studio where it will be kept for public ‘darshan’ from 12-2 p.m., then start the funeral procession at 3 p.m. with the cremation likely to be completed at 4 p.m., said a close family friend.