Mumbai, 27 June (HS): Raj Thackeray, the Maharashtra

Navnirman Sena head, attacked senior IPS officer Vishwas Nangare Patil on

Saturday for attending a Hindu Sakal Samaj event and praising RSS, saying the

top cop should quit and join the right-wing group if he wanted to openly

declare his enthusiasm for it. Thackeray stated in a Facebook post that a

police officer's loyalty should be solely to the force's duties and

responsibilities, but Nangare Patil appears eager to publicly demonstrate his

allegiance to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and appears to have developed a

sudden inclination to show dual loyalty.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief's remarks came after an

undated video of Nangare Patil's address at the Sakal Hindu Samaj's Hindu

Sammelan went viral on Thursday, sparking a debate. The IPS officer was named

Nagpur's police commissioner earlier this week. The Maharashtra Congress has asked an investigation into a

statement given by a senior official at the event in which he lauded the RSS,

claiming that it raises concerns about his impartiality and compliance with

service standards.

Thackeray stated in his article that anyone who spends even

a little time investigating who is organizing these gatherings and what their

true goals are would discover who is driving them.

He stated that, while any political party or organization

claiming to be non-political has the right to organize gatherings and voice

their opinions, the true question is whether a working government person,

particularly a police officer, should attend such a meeting.

Have you (Nangare Patil) forgotten that you are a police

officer, and impartiality is one of the most important demands for someone in

your position? Keep your enthusiasm or admiration for RSS to yourself. If you

want to express it openly, resign from your position and join the RSS or BJP.

After all, for some years, there has been an almost assured rehabilitation

program for favored officers. You, too, would undoubtedly be accommodated, he

said.

Thackeray also highlighted a 2012 event during the MNS's protest march against

Raza Academy, in which a police constable praised him for supporting the police

service.

He said that the government of the day saw a violation of neutrality and

ordered the cop on obligatory leave. He questioned if the new dispensation

would use the same criterion in Nangare Patil's case

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi