Pune: Cabinet minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil on Thursday accused the Nashik police of turning a blind eye to initial complaints against astrologer Ashok Kharat.The senior BJP member claimed that nobody dared to take action against Kharat because of the political backing he received.Following Kharat’s arrest, names of several politicians linked to the astrologer have cropped up.So far 15 cases have been registered against Kharat. Considering the enormity of the alleged crime, the state govt has constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe all the complaints against the arrested astrologer.Vikhe Patil told reporters in Ahilyanagar, “I have information that the Nashik police did not register an FIR against Kharat despite receiving complaints. It was the Shirdi police in Ahilyangar who registered an FIR in a case, which later exposed Kharat’s criminal activities. Had the Shirdi police not registered that FIR, his criminal activities would have still continued.” The minister said the Nashik police failed to perform their duties. Vikhe Patil said, “While fingers are being pointed at politicians, the role of Nashik police in the case also needs to be questioned. What was the local crime branch and other departments of the Nashik police doing when he was carrying out his illegal activities right under their nose?”
