SIT formed under Shailesh Balkawade to probe Jarange's Rs 500 crore audio clip

A special investigation team (SIT) has been formed to probe an alleged audio clip involving Rs 500 crore, which Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil had made public. The clip has heated up political debate in the state. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had directed the Mumbai Police Commissioner to set up an SIT for a thorough investigation, and the team has now been formally announced under Additional Commissioner of Police Shailesh Balkawade.

The clip claims that Rs 500 crore was given to Jarange through MP Shrikant Shinde. Jarange had demanded that the government conduct an impartial probe of the clip and that the people behind it be exposed.

After the Chief Minister's order, Mumbai Police began the investigation immediately and formed the SIT. Balkawade, an Additional Commissioner of Police, is the chairman. Deputy Commissioners of Police Vijaykant Sagar and Bajrang Bansode are members of the team.

After the SIT was formed, Jarange again targeted the state government. He advised the Chief Minister, "Don't just form an SIT and play games. It is essential to get to the root of this probe." Jarange reiterated that the clip is not AI-generated and is 100 per cent genuine. He claimed that a clip this long cannot be made with AI.

Jarange added, "This clip is going viral across the country. The thoughts in the clip are extremely poisonous and this planning must be ended. SIT chief Shailesh Balkawade has been the Superintendent of Police in Jalna. He is close to Devendra Fadnavis, but his work must still be impartial."

Jarange raised another question. He said, "Was this an attempt to ruin Eknath Shinde's career? There is major unrest between Shinde and Fadnavis. If this probe goes deep, it will be clear that Fadnavis too was going to be taken down."

Meanwhile, charges and counter-charges over the Rs 500 crore audio bomb have intensified. Sanjay Raut, MP of the Thackeray faction, has written directly to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. He has demanded that the case be investigated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or another major central agency. In response, the BJP has hit back. The BJP says the audio clip is entirely AI-generated and that Raut himself should be investigated.

All of Maharashtra is now watching to see what the SIT's forensic investigation finds.