Police Close Probe Into Stone Attack On Anil Deshmukh; Leader Alleges Pressure

Anil Deshmukh

The Nagpur rural police have closed the probe into the alleged stone attack on Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) [NCP(SP)] leader and former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, declaring the case false through a ‘B Summary’ report submitted in a Katol court last week.

Deshmukh, however, rejected the police findings, alleging political pressure and claiming that the incident was being deliberately given a political colour.

Difference Between ‘A Summary’ & ‘B Summary’

A ‘B Summary’ report is filed when police find no evidence or a prima facie case, or when a complaint is considered false or frivolous. An ‘A Summary’ report, on the other hand, is filed for cases that are true but remain undetected.

According to Deshmukh, the police should have filed a ‘Summary’ instead, since the culprits were not found, instead of dismissing the case as false.

The Alleged Attack

The incident was reported on November 18, 2024, a day before the Maharashtra Assembly elections. Deshmukh was travelling from Narkhed village to Katol after an election campaign when his car was allegedly attacked near Katol by four unidentified persons.

His personal assistant, Ujjwal Bhoyar, lodged a complaint stating that stones were pelted at the vehicle. One stone was said to have hit Deshmukh on the head, causing bleeding injuries, and broken glass fragments were reportedly found inside the car.

At the time, Deshmukh was campaigning for his son, Salil Deshmukh, the NCP(SP) candidate from Katol constituency.

Forensic Report Contradicts Claims

The Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL) in Nagpur dismissed the stone attack theory after detailed analysis. Experts concluded that:

The reinforced glass of the car could not have broken with a single hit.

The blunt injury on Deshmukh’s head did not match wounds typically caused by glass shards.

The windshield cracks were inconsistent with the alleged attack.

No glass fragments were found lodged in the injury.

Police also examined CCTV footage and nearby areas but found no attackers, eyewitnesses, or corroborative evidence. On this basis, investigators declared the allegations false and sought court permission to prosecute the complainant.

Deshmukh’s Counterclaims

Addressing a press conference in Nagpur, Deshmukh insisted that he had suffered head injuries during a genuine attack and accused police of acting under political influence.

He pointed out that BJP leader Parinay Fuke had dismissed the incident as fake even before the investigation was complete, and claimed that then–Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had mocked the case by calling it a “Salim-Javed story.”

“The police should have properly investigated, arrested the two attackers, and then filed the report. Instead, they submitted a B Summary under pressure,” Deshmukh said. He added that he would take “appropriate steps” based on the forensic findings that, according to him, supported his version of events.

Deshmukh, who has faced legal troubles in the past, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in 2021 in connection with a money-laundering case and released on bail in 2022.