Overview
- Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the deputy collector, Abhijit Bhande-Patil, was suspended Thursday after a preliminary probe found a prima facie link to Ashok Kharat.
- The Revenue Department ordered a departmental inquiry under civil service rules and attached his headquarters to the Konkan divisional office with movement and private work barred.
- Complaints submitted by activist Anjali Damania on April 30 included supporting documents that officials reviewed before taking action.
- Call records cited in those filings show 143 calls between Bhande-Patil and Kharat from April 4, 2025 to March 15, 2026.
- The suspension comes as a Special Investigation Team examines multiple cases against Kharat, who was arrested in March on alleged sexual exploitation and financial irregularities.