PUNE: State industries minister and Shiv Sena leader Uday Samant on Friday called for an investigation into the leakage of sensitive information regarding the rape case involving astrologer Ashok Kharat.His remarks follow recent allegations that high-profile politicians, including deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, were in contact with the accused.The controversy was sparked by activist Anjali Damania, who claimed that Shinde had made 17 calls to Kharat in the past. Speaking to the media in Mumbai earlier on Friday, Damania named several other politicians who allegedly contacted Kharat during an unspecified period. She further claimed she had received the call detail record (CDR) data from an anonymous source.“There are 17 recorded calls between Eknath Shinde and Kharat. Of these, 10 were incoming and 7 outgoing. These are normal calls. We do not know how many calls were made on WhatsApp. Shinde needs to reveal what these calls were about,” Damania said. She did not specify the period during which these alleged phone conversations took place. She said the CDR also revealed 177 calls with NCP’s Rupali Chakankar, who stepped down as state women’s commission chief after the controversy erupted. Also, 8 calls with NCP MP Sunil Tatkare, 8 calls with minister for higher and technical education Chandrakant Patil of BJP and one call with cultural affairs minister Ashish Shelar of BJP.Damania said the 177 calls between Kharat and Chakankar showed their equation was not just that between a guru and devotee. “The 177 calls amount to 33,727 seconds. This comes second only to the calls recorded with his relative Trupti Kharat,” Damania said. She said Chakankar’s sister Pratibha had 236 recorded calls with Kharat.Chakankar has claimed she only had family relations with Kharat and was his devotee. How can so many calls be exchanged in that case?” she asked.Responding to these claims during a press interaction in Pune, Samant dismissed the allegations as a smear campaign. “Shinde has proven his mettle through bold leadership and decisive governance. Any attempt to target him by claiming he made calls to certain individuals will not diminish his stature. It appears some people cannot digest his success and are deliberately trying to malign him,” Samant stated.Samant expressed serious concern over how Damania accessed the restricted data. “Information related to a sensitive criminal case like Kharat’s should remain strictly with the investigating police. There is an urgent need to identify who leaked this data to an outside party, and the govt will ensure this breach is investigated,” he added.(Additional inputs from Priyanka Kakodkar in Mumbai)
