The Congress has re-inducted suspended Pune unit vice-president Deepak Mankar who was arrested and jailed for alleged multiple land-grabbing cases. The city Congress unit issued a press note on Monday, officially announcing the revocation of Mankar’s suspension.
City Congress president Abhay Chajjed said the state unit had taken the decision “after discussions at all levels”.
Recognised for his muscle power, crowd-gathering skills and mobilising voters, Mankar is often described in political circles as the “right hand man” of Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi.
Congress sources said Mankar and his supporters had recently met state party leaders, seeking his reinstatement. The decision to take back Mankar was taken two months ago, but it was announced on Monday.
On July 6 last year, Mankar was arrested in the land-grabbing case of Yashwant Natu, 64, whose property at Shukrawar Peth was allegedly grabbed forcibly by his supporters.
It was the Shiv Sena which had supported the Natu family and demanded Mankar’s arrest. Mankar’s application for anticipatory bail was rejected by the magisterial court on June 24 and an arrest warrant was issued in his name.
He had gone into hiding for a few days in June 2009 prior to his arrest and the public outcry against him had forced the Congress to announce his suspension.
Mankar had then applied for interim bail in the high court which was also rejected on July 6, 2007. It was at this point that he was arrested by the Pune police crime branch team in Mumbai and brought to the Faraskhana lock-up.
This Congressman had unsuccessfully contested the recent state assembly elections from the Kothrud assembly constituency as an independent candidate.
Charged with multiple land-grabbing cases, Mankar was interred at the Yerawada jail and later granted bail by the Supreme Court on September 11.
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