Hitesh Pandya, who served as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Gujarat Chief Minister since 2001, has resigned from his post following a massive controversy involving his son. Amit Hitesh Pandya was part of a fake 'official team' of the "Prime Minister's Office" led by conman Kiran Bhai Patel, which tricked the Jammu and Kashmir administration and security apparatus to secure Z-plus security cover and official accommodation at a five-star hotel, among other benefits. The Gujarat BJP has reportedly suspended Amit Pandya from the primary membership of the party.
What did Pandya write in his resignation letter?
According to a report in NDTV, in his resignation letter, Pandya has reportedly stated that he does not want the image of the Prime Minister's Office and the Gujarat Chief Minister's Office to be tarnished, even though his son is "innocent." "My son is innocent. However, I don't want the image of the CMO and the PMO tarnished, and hence I am resigning from the post," Pandya is reported to have said in the resignation letter.
Denial of involvement
Earlier, Pandya told news channel NDTV that his son was innocent, and he would never indulge in such an activity. "I trust my son. He would never indulge in any such activity," said Pandya.
Jammu and Kashmir police have not named Amit Pandya as an accused in the fake PMO team case. Amit and his fellow Gujarati accomplice, Jay Sitapara, have instead been made witnesses in the case. The conman Kiran Bahi Patel was arrested earlier this month after enjoying official protocol for over four months while posing as a senior PMO official. However, Amit and Jay Sitapara were let off by police. They were called back for questioning last week. A senior police official said the duo may have "fallen into the trap" of the conman.
Fake PMO official team
Sources say Amit Hitesh Pandya, Jay Sitapara from Gujarat, and Trilok Singh from Rajasthan were also staying with Patel at a five-star hotel in Srinagar and impersonating an official team from the Prime Minister's Office. The "PMO team" has been visiting Kashmir since October last year. Sources say an IAS officer who is a district magistrate in south Kashmir had initially informed the security wing of the police about the visit of a "senior PMO officer." Patel is also verified on Twitter and has over a thousand followers, including BJP Gujarat General Secretary Pradipsinh Vaghela.
Impersonation arrest
Patel, impersonating an Additional Director for strategy and campaigns in the Prime Minister's Office, was arrested on March 2. However, his arrest was kept a secret by the police for two weeks. The details of the 'high profile' arrest emerged only after a magistrate sent him to judicial custody on March 15. Patel had visited multiple places, including forward posts along the Line of Control. The team had also held meetings with officials in various districts across Kashmir before the police were alerted that he was a conman.
