A political controversy erupted in Mumbai on Thursday night when NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar was involved in a heated argument with police officers at the Azad Maidan Police Station. The confrontation stemmed from the alleged detention of a party worker, Nitin Deshmukh, and the MLA's dissatisfaction with the police response.

According to reports, Nitin Deshmukh, a close aide of NCP (SP) MLA Jitendra Awhad, was allegedly assaulted by supporters of BJP MLC Gopichand Padalkar. Following the alleged assault, Deshmukh was taken into custody, but there was confusion regarding his whereabouts. Pawar and Awhad went to the Azad Maidan Police Station to locate Deshmukh, who had reportedly sustained injuries.

Frustration mounted as Pawar and his supporters were unable to get clear answers regarding Deshmukh's location. This led to a tense exchange between Pawar and a police sub-inspector, which was captured on video and widely circulated on social media. In the video, Pawar is visibly upset and can be heard telling the officer, "Lower your voice. If you can't answer respectfully, don't speak at all".

Pawar later told reporters that the police officer had raised his voice and failed to provide clear information, which led to the argument. He stated, "We only came to ask about our colleague. Instead of helping us, the police were vague and evasive". He also criticized the lack of transparency in the police's conduct, alleging that they were misled and denied basic information for over four hours. "All we wanted to know was where Nitin Deshmukh was detained. That took just five minutes once we reached the right station. Then why was it dragged on for hours?" he questioned.

Senior police officers intervened to de-escalate the situation. Deshmukh was eventually located at JJ Hospital, where he was receiving treatment for his injuries.

Pawar has accused the police of acting on political instructions. He stated that instead of arresting the attackers, who are accused under MCOCA, Nitin Deshmukh himself was arrested. He further alleged that the police made them "run around to four or five different police stations for 3 to 4 hours, giving evasive answers and even treating Awhad Saheb disrespectfully with gestures".

Pawar questioned, "If the police administration is going to act according to the law, we will cooperate. But what if some police act on political orders? Whom should we seek justice from? If police acting on political orders do not even respect elected representatives, what must be the plight of the common people?". He also referenced other incidents where accusations have been made against those in power, questioning whether the victims should expect justice.

This is not the first time Pawar has been involved in a controversy related to police action. In February 2024, BJP MLA Ram Kadam alleged that Pawar called a police station to release a man accused of threatening Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Pawar clarified that the man was an activist from his party and that his only role was to post the video of a social activist on his social media page.