Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh has expressed surprise at the speedy suspension order of a constable for hugging actor Sanjay Dutt after his release from the Yerwada Jail in Pune on August 23.
"At a meeting with senior officials in Mumbai, Deshmukh expressed surprise over the speedy manner in which the constable's suspension was ordered," said an official in the chief minister's office.
However, the official refuted media reports claiming Deshmukh had ordered revocation of the suspension order.
"The chief minister stated that due procedure should have been adopted before taking the decision to suspend the constable, like issuing show-cause notice and initiating departmental probe," the official said.
Constable R Kalekar, who had shaken hands and hugged Dutt after his release from Yerwada Jail, has been suspended while eight other policemen face a departmental probe for showing friendly gestures towards the actor.
Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra R R Patil has ordered a probe into the matter.
"Deshmukh felt that according to the TV footage, it was Dutt who initiated the handshake and Kalekar, like any ordinary star-struck person, shook hands with him," he said.
According to Patil, the policemen's action violated the police manual as well as the Maharashtra Civil Services Rules. He had asked Satish Mathur, the inspector general of prisons, to probe the incident.
However, both Deshmukh and Patil are yet to take a clear stand about Minister of State for Labour Baba Siddiqui, whose expulsion was sought by the opposition Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party for "cosying" up to the actor.