Suspended excise officer welcomes Munde at airport

Women and child welfare minister Pankaja Munde seems to be making headlines for all the wrong reasons. The minister is now in the eye of the storm over the presence of a suspended excise officer, who turned up to receive her at the airport on Tuesday morning when she returned from London after a holiday of more than a week.

Women and child welfare minister Pankaja Munde seems to be making headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The minister is now in the eye of the storm over the presence of a suspended excise officer, who turned up to receive her at the airport on Tuesday morning when she returned from London after a holiday of more than a week.

The officer, Rajendra Shirsat, was with Munde till she reached her official residence in south Mumbai.

Shirsat, an inspector with the state excise department, was suspended in March after he was arrested for allegedly offering a bribe of Rs50 lakh to a woman colleague to withdraw her molestation case against him.

He was arrested by the anti-corruption bureau while handing over a payment of Rs15 lakh.

The woman had alleged that Shirsat would harass her and had made her life measurable for the past two years.

His presence at the airport has raised several eyebrows. However, sources claimed Shirsat accompanied Munde like hundreds of other supporters.

Despite repeated attempts, the minister was not available for comment.