Mumbai: Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer K.P. Raghuvanshi has levelled serious allegations against the erstwhile UPA government, claiming he "had to pay the price" for refusing to arrest high-profile Hindutva leaders like Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray and Indresh Kumar of RSS under political pressure. These revelations are detailed in his biography, Troubleshooter, authored by Jitendra Dixit.
Who's Who of Security Establishment at Launch
The book was released recently by former Deputy Research and Analysis Wing (RaW) chief V.Balachandran and ex Director General of Police A.N.Roy. Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, ex CBI director Subodh Jayaswal, ex DGP Rashmi Shukla. ATS chief Nawal Bajaj and several high ranking members of law enforcement organisations.
Throughout his 35-year career, the 1980 batch officer headed several critical units, including the Special Task Force (STF) tasked with implementing the Srikrishna Commission’s report on the Mumbai riots, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), and the Thane Police Commissionerate. Raghuvanshi is also credited with raising the C-60, Gadchiroli’s specialized anti-Naxal commando force.
The Malegaon Blast and Indresh Kumar
In 2010, Raghuvanshi was unceremoniously shunted out as the chief of the Maharashtra ATS before the completion of his tenure. According to the book, a senior Congress minister in the UPA government pressured him to arrest RSS functionary Indresh Kumar in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast case. Raghuvanshi reportedly refused the order, citing a lack of evidence against Kumar.
This refusal fuelled ministerial suspicion that Raghuvanshi was "hand in glove" with the accused. The book explains that during a previous stint with the ATS, Raghuvanshi had invited another accused, Lt. Col. Prasad Purohit, to conduct a workshop for officers. At the time, Purohit worked with Military Intelligence, and Raghuvanshi viewed him as a valuable resource for training personnel in intelligence gathering. However, following Purohit’s arrest, a photograph of Raghuvanshi welcoming him went viral, creating a lasting impression of collusion in the minister’s mind.
Raghuvanshi claims his eventual removal from the ATS was orchestrated by the minister on the pretext of "leaking" information to the media; information that was already part of an F.I.R. and therefore a public document.
“Why are you scared of Bal Thackeray?”
The biography further details a period of alleged humiliation at the hands of then Maharashtra Home Minister Chhagan Bhujbal regarding the non-arrest of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray in the 1993 Mumbai riots case.
"Raghuvanshi… Suryavanshi, whoever you are… why are you scared of arresting Bal Thackeray?" Bhujbal reportedly demanded in 2000, when Raghuvanshi, then STF chief, expressed his inability to make the arrest.
While the Srikrishna Commission had indicted Thackeray for inciting violence and likened his commands to those of a military general, the STF’s legal advisor, Advocate P.R. Vakil, advised against prosecution. This was due to the fact that two prime witnesses, Congress leader Chandrakant Handore and journalist Yuvraj Mohite, failed to appear before the STF to provide statements.
Personal Vendettas and Political Promises
The book suggests that Bhujbal’s insistence was fueled by a personal vendetta dating back to 1991, when he defected from the Shiv Sena to join Congress under Sharad Pawar. This animosity deepened in 1997 when Shiv Sainiks attacked Bhujbal’s bungalow, forcing him to lock himself in a bathroom to escape injury.
Raghuvanshi reportedly resisted the pressure to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment seen in July 2000, when a court disposed of a case against Thackeray within minutes because it was time-barred.
Summoned by Sonia Gandhi
Beyond Bhujbal, the book claims then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh also pushed for action. Deshmukh, under pressure from party leader Sonia Gandhi, reportedly took Raghuvanshi to Delhi to brief her on the progress. The Congress had promised action against those indicted by the Srikrishna Commission in its 1999 election manifesto, and Gandhi was being lobbied by civil rights organizations and Muslim groups to fulfill that pledge.
A Career of Conflict
Troubleshooter provides a collection of anecdotes spanning Raghuvanshi’s time in Naxal-hitGadchiroli to his various confrontations with politicians, terrorists, gangsters, and colleagues within the force.
K.P. Raghuvanshi retired in 2015 as the Director General of the Maharashtra Security Force. He currently serves as the head of the ethics and vigilance unit for the IPL franchise, Rajasthan Royals.
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