MP: Kailash Vijayvargiya hits out at Jitu Patwari over drug case

A political row erupted in Madhya Pradesh after state minister Kailash Vijayvargiya criticised Congress chief Jitu Patwari over his brother's detention in a drug case. Police are investigating a wider network and have questioned several individuals.

Political Spat Erupts Over Drug Probe

A fresh political confrontation has emerged in Madhya Pradesh as state Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday criticised Congress' state unit chief Jitu Patwari following the recent police inquiry involving the latter's brother, Kulbhushan alias Nana Patwar, who was recently detained in connection with a drug case. Speaking to reporters here, Vijayvargiya argued that since the state Congress president has chosen to politicise the ongoing investigation, public scrutiny regarding his family's background has become unavoidable. He said, "He (Nana Patwari) has himself admitted to being addicted to alcohol and drugs in the past. Though I avoid commenting on political families, this becomes necessary when Jitu Patwari himself is willing to make political statements."

Police Detail Wider Drug Network Investigation

Meanwhile, Narendra Rawat, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone-1, Indore, said that the drug trafficking case involving Madhya Pradesh Congress President Jitu Patwari's brother, Nana Patwari alias Kulbhushan, is linked to a wider network and police are conducting a detailed investigation to identify all those connected with it. The DCP said that the woman who claimed to have consumed drugs with Patwari at one or two flats was also questioned by the police. Along with this, Manav Gangwani was also called for questioning.

Key Accused and Interrogations

"A crime was registered in Rajendra Nagar on July 9th. The two main accused were Irfan Khan alias Goli Chanderi and Sanjay Kaushal. They had confessed to supplying drugs to Manav Gangwani, Nana Patwari alias Kulbhushan. On that basis, we also obtained 7-day police remands for Sanjay and Irfan. The court permitted us. We took his statement and served a notice to Kulbhushan Patwari to verify the facts that came out in the details," DCP Rawat said.

"Manav Gangwani was also called for questioning today in the afternoon. It became clear from their statements that they had supplied drugs before. Two main accused were Irfan Khan alias Goli Chanderi, who told us that the drugs they had were acquired through Arif Khan. We arrested him today. We are also verifying the 2-3 names that came up while looking into his network," he added.

Woman's Testimony Emerges

He further said that the name of a young woman emerged during the investigation, and she was questioned regarding her alleged association with the accused persons. "The name of a young woman came up in this entire network. When she was asked about all these facts, she told us a few things, including her conversation with Nana Patwari, some transactions and the fact that they used to hang out together. On the basis of this, Nana Patwari was questioned today. To verify these facts, we called this girl today," the DCP said.

"The girl admitted in her statement that she consumed drugs 2-3 times with Nana. She also admitted that she mentioned the names of 1-2 flats, which we are currently verifying. She stated that she had previously travelled on these flats with Kulbhushan Patwari. These facts are not verified, but we are working on them," he added.

Financial Transactions and Technical Evidence

Further, Rawat said that the police are also examining financial transactions and account details to verify the claims that emerged during questioning. He added that notices would be issued to individuals found to be connected with the alleged drug network.

"In this entire case, the technical evidence is showing that there's a whole network involved in this type of drug dealing and these things. We're investigating that entire network. We'll issue notices to anyone involved and call them, and if necessary, we'll call them to verify their documents and facts. The financial transactions for the purchase have just appeared in our statements, but we can only verify them by looking at the accounts, so we're obtaining those account details and other details," he said.

The case stems from an operation carried out by Rajendra Nagar Police in Indore on Thursday. Police arrested two accused, Irfan Khan alias Golu Chandauri and Sanjay Kaushal alias Ronnie Bhai, and recovered 10.8 grams of brown sugar along with a black Scorpio vehicle. A case was registered against them under Sections 8/21 of the NDPS Act.

Meanwhile, Kulbhushan Patwari was released after questioning by the police.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)