Police Close Probe into Anil Deshmukh Attack, Case Declared False

Maharashtra's Nagpur rural police have officially closed the investigation into an alleged stone-pelting attack on Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader and former state home minister Anil Deshmukh, filing a 'B Summary' report in a Katol court that declares the case false, authorities announced Wednesday. The decision follows forensic analysis and field enquiries that contradicted the initial claims, marking a significant development in a politically charged incident from last year that had fuelled accusations of foul play during election season.

The probe stemmed from a November 18, 2024, complaint lodged by Deshmukh's personal assistant, Ujjwal Bhoyar, alleging that four unidentified assailants targeted the NCP (SP) leader's vehicle with stones near Katol while he was returning from an election rally in Narkhed village, Nagpur district.

Deshmukh, who was campaigning for his son Salil—then contesting the Maharashtra assembly elections from the Katol constituency on an NCP (SP) ticket—reportedly sustained a head injury from a stone impact, with glass shards allegedly embedding in the wound and fragments found inside the car. The event drew immediate attention, with opposition leaders decrying it as an attempt to intimidate the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance amid the high-stakes polls that saw the BJP-led Mahayuti retain power.

However, the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) in Nagpur debunked the narrative after a meticulous examination of the vehicle and injury evidence. Experts determined that the car's reinforced windscreen could not shatter from a single stone strike, the observed cracks did not match impact patterns from such an attack, and crucially, no glass pieces were embedded in Deshmukh's blunt-force wound—ruling out shard-related injuries.

Police supplemented this with CCTV reviews from nearby areas and witness canvassing, which yielded no footage of assailants, eyewitness accounts, or physical traces like stones or debris, leading investigators to conclude the allegations lacked substantiation.

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In light of these findings, police have petitioned the court for permission to prosecute Bhoyar, the complainant, potentially on charges of filing a false report under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. This closure revives scrutiny over Deshmukh's legal entanglements; the 74-year-old, a two-time home minister (2019–2021), has faced multiple probes since 2021, including money-laundering and corruption cases linked to Nagpur's bribery scandal, from which he received bail in 2024.

NCP (SP) spokespersons have yet to comment, but the episode underscores persistent tensions in Maharashtra's polarised politics, where election-time incidents often blur lines between genuine threats and strategic narratives. The court's response to the prosecution request remains pending.

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