Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde faces SIT probe and Kumbh Mela promises

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is facing two distinct developments in the state. In Mumbai, Police Commissioner Deven Bharati has constituted a three-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a forensic examination of an audio tape released by Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil. The tape contains allegations of a 500-crore rupee payoff involving Shinde and his son, Shrikant Shinde.

Separately, during a meeting with saints and mahants in Trimbakeshwar, Shinde addressed concerns regarding the upcoming Kumbh Mela. He pledged that families displaced by Kumbh Mela works would be provided with permanent housing. He also promised administrative approval for the construction of new buildings for the local municipality and compensation for traders, shopkeepers, and farmers who suffer losses due to the event.