Police close probe into stone attack on Anil Deshmukh; leader alleges pressure

Nagpur, Oct 1 (PTI) Police have closed the probe into last year’s alleged stone attack on NCP (SP) leader and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh, declaring the case false through a 'B Summary' report filed in a local court, officials said on Wednesday.

Deshmukh, however, claimed the police were under pressure and the incident was being given a political colour.

The police should have submitted the 'A Summary' report as they could not find the culprits, the former home minister added.

A 'B Summary' report is a final report filed by police in a criminal case when the investigation shows no evidence or prima facie case against the accused, or that the complaint was false or frivolous. An 'A Summary' report is filed for true but undetected cases.

The Nagpur rural police submitted the 'B Summary' report at a court in Katol here last week after forensic findings and inquiries failed to support the claims made in the complaint about the alleged attack, officials said.

The police have also sought permission from the court to prosecute the complainant in the case, an official said.

Deshmukh's personal assistant Ujjwal Bhoyar had filed the complaint, alleging the stone attack on the NCP (SP) leader.

The alleged incident was reported on November 18, 2024, when Deshmukh was returning to Katol from an election campaign meeting in Narkhed village of Nagpur district.

It was claimed that four unidentified persons pelted stones at his car near Katol. One stone was said to have struck him on the head, causing bleeding injuries, and glass fragments were claimed to be found inside the vehicle.

At that time, Anil Deshmukh was campaigning for his son, Salil Deshmukh, who contested the state assembly election from Katol constituency on the NCP (SP) ticket.

However, the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) here rejected the stone attack theory after a detailed examination, a police official said.

The experts noted that the car's reinforced glass could not be broken by a single hit, Anil Deshmukh's blunt injury did not match injuries caused by glass shards, and the cracks on the windshield did not align with the alleged incident, the official said.

Importantly, no glass pieces were found lodged in the wound.

Police also checked CCTV footage and nearby areas but found no evidence of attackers or eyewitnesses.

With the forensic report and absence of corroborative proof, the police concluded the allegations were false, a senior police official said.

Anil Deshmukh, however, at a press conference here, claimed the police were under pressure and the incident was being given a political colour from the beginning rather than catching the culprits.

He maintained that he had received head injuries during the stone attack while he was travelling a day before the state assembly polls. The former minister claimed the forensic report also stated that an unidentified person had thrown a heavy big stone and another person had thrown a small stone at his car, due to which its glass windows broke and he received head injuries from the glass pieces.

He alleged that BJP leader Parinay Fuke had stated the incident was fake and the superintendent of police at that time gave a statement even before the investigation was complete.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also "termed the incident as a 'Salim-Javed story'," the NCP (SP) leader added.

He said the police should have conducted a proper investigation and arrested the two persons (who allegedly threw stones). But, without conducting these procedures, the police submitted the 'B Summary' report, he claimed.

They should have submitted the 'A Summary' report as the accused persons were not found by the police, Anil Deshmukh said.

" Hence, we will take an appropriate step based on the forensic report that has come out," he said.

The NCP (SP) leader was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case in 2021 and granted bail in 2022. PTI COR DC CLS GK