The newly appointed Nagpur Police Commissioner, IPS officer Vishwas Nangare Patil, courted controversy after his speech at a Hindu Sakal Samaj event, where he praised Hindutva and RSS founder KB Hedgewar, which created a furore as the Congress in Maharashtra questioned the BJP government over whether he had obtained the required permission to attend the event and raised doubts about his political neutrality, demanding a probe into the incident.
The controversy erupted after an undated video of Nangare Patil's address at the Hindu Sammelan organised by the Sakal Hindu Samaj went viral on Thursday, days after his appointment as Nagpur police commissioner.
In a post on X, the Congress asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, to clarify whether the IPS officer had obtained prior government approval before participating in the event, as required under the All India Services (Conduct) Rules.
The opposition party argued that members of the All-India Services must seek prior permission before attending such programmes and questioned whether the government would initiate disciplinary action if no approval had been obtained.
Congress further contended that Nangare Patil's remarks praising the RSS, Hindutva and Hedgewar raised serious questions about his adherence to service rules mandating political neutrality and conduct befitting a civil servant.
It also cited provisions prohibiting members of the All India Services from associating with organisations engaged in politics, asking whether addressing and endorsing an ideological organisation from its platform amounted to such an association.
Describing the issue as one extending beyond an individual officer, the party said it touched upon the credibility of the civil services, the constitutional principle of political neutrality and public confidence in the police administration.