Nagpur Police Commissioner’s RSS Praise Triggers Political Row
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said that even an upright and respected officer had bowed before the government, alleging that the IPS officer was praising an organisation that is not registered.
Mumbai: A political row has erupted in Maharashtra after newly appointed Nagpur Police Commissioner Vishwas Nangare-Patil attended an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) event and publicly praised the organisation. The Congress objected to his participation, alleging that it violated the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, which require serving civil servants to maintain political neutrality. Joining the criticism, MNS chief Raj Thackeray said that if Nangare-Patil had such strong admiration for the RSS, he should resign from the police service and join the RSS or the BJP.
The controversy began after an undated video surfaced showing Mr Nangare-Patil addressing a Hindu Sammelan organised by the Sakal Hindu Samaj. The video went viral on Thursday, just days after his appointment as Nagpur Police Commissioner. Mr Nangare-Patil, a senior IPS officer of the 1993 batch, described the RSS as an organisation of people who follow discipline in their lives.
In a post on X, the Maharashtra Congress asked whether Mr Nangare-Patil had obtained prior permission from the Maharashtra Home Department or the state government, as required under Rule 13(2)(f)(iii) of the All India Services (Conduct) Rules, 1968, before attending the programme. It demanded that, if such permission had been granted, the government make it public and clarify the legal provision under which it was issued. If no permission was obtained, the party asked whether the government would initiate action against him for violating the service conduct rules.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said that even an upright and respected officer had bowed before the government, alleging that the IPS officer was praising an organisation that is not registered.
Senior Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar said the IPS officer had forgotten the oath he took when he joined the police service. “The youth has lost its faith in Vishwas Nangare-Patil,” he said.
NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar also criticised the IPS officer, saying that if Vishwas Nangare-Patil was praising the RSS, he might be aiming to become the Mumbai Police Commissioner. “This is grossly wrong,” Mr Pawar said.
In a detailed post on X, Raj Thackeray said that if Nangare-Patil wished to publicly express his admiration for the RSS, he should first resign from the police service and then join the RSS or the BJP. “The issue is whether someone holding a government job—especially a police officer—should attend such a programme or not,” he said.
Questioning the BJP-led Mahayuti government’s silence over the controversy, Mr Thackeray asked whether the Chief Minister and the Home Minister endorsed what he described as “dual loyalty”.
Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule defended the officer, saying there was nothing wrong with praising the RSS, which, according to him, has brought honour to the nation.