From irrigation to land scams, how Anjali Damania has had her task cut out

Anjali Damania, a dedicated activist, exposes corruption and fights for justice, notably against Ajit Pawar's family, despite facing threats and criticism.

MUMBAI: Anjali Damania, 57, juggled many roles before becoming an activist. She ran a diagnostic centre in Santacruz, after getting a diploma in medical laboratory and technology, joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) where she was the state convenor, before becoming a citizen activist.

Anjali Damania (HT Photo)

When Damania decides to sink her teeth into an issue she leaves no stone unturned. As former India Against Corruption (IAC) activist, and her once colleague, Mayank Gandhi said, “Damania has impeccable integrity. Once she takes on an issue, she does not care who she is facing or the consequences. She does not take security, despite getting life threats.”

After bringing embarrassment to Ajit Pawar by unravelling the irrigation scam in 2012, she continues to cause disgrace to the family by taking up the fight against the now NCP chief’s son Parth Pawar over a र300 crore land deal in Mundwa, Pune. On Monday, Damania furnished documents against Parth’s company Amedia LL to the Vikas Kharge Committee to establish that he held a majority stake in the company, and therefore must be named in all FIRs. Despite a probe committee being set up, she is running a parallel inquiry, and recently indicated might move court “if the committee fails to do a fair job”.

A proclivity to set wrongs right struck in Damania nearly 15 years ago when she set about protecting her family’s land in Karjat from being acquired for the Kondhane Dam project on Ulhas river. Through a contact in the irrigation department, Damania met then irrigation minister Sunil Tatkare on August 11, 2011, and asked for the dam’s alignment to be shifted “so that our land could be saved”.

“When I dug deeper, I realised that the same contractor was appointed for many other dams, indicating massive corruption,” said Damania.

Around that time, on August 16, 2011, social activist Anna Hazare led a protest in Azad Maidan, in support of the Jan Lokpal Bill and anti-corruption law drafted by members of civil society. “I remember being agitated. I joined the protest but was detained by the D B Marg police station. My husband also joined me,” said Damania.

Damania had tasted blood.

Armed with the knowledge of largescale corruption in the irrigation department, Damania learned how to file an RTI, and rallied support from citizens who would be affected due to the Kondhane, Shai and Balganga dams, in Raigad.

“There were many roadblocks but I finally managed to get an audience with then RTI chief commissioner Ratnakar Gaikwad, who ordered the government to give me all documents, which showed that all the tenders were being issued to a single contractor,” she said.

She raised the issue at various public platforms, compelling then chief minister Prithviraj Chavan terming the irrigation scam “a daylight robbery”. “In those days we were a part of IAC, and activists such as Preeti Sharma Menon and Mayank Gandhi were with me,” she said.

The Prithviraj Chavan government issued a white paper on the scam, with Opposition parties putting pressure on the government, forcing then water resources minister Ajit Pawar to resign, albeit for a brief period. (Cases related to the scam are still in courts.)

In 2014, Damania who was then the convenor of Maharashtra state unit of AAP, contested the Lok Sabha elections against BJP candidate Nitin Gadkari from Nagpur but lost. She quit a year later because “party chief Arvind Kejriwal had back door talks about forming the government in Delhi; I heard the audio clips”.

Her stint with politics was brief but her zeal for activism was honed by now.

She continued her campaign against other politicians such as then PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal, for alleged money laundering, and later Eknath Khadse for purportedly taking “pecuniary benefits using his position as revenue minister”. She was even verbally abused by Khadse on a TV programme, but he had to resign under pressure from activists.

In late 2023, Damania stood by widow Doreen Fernandes and her three autistic children, whose bungalow in Santacruz West was taken by the Bhujbals to be redeveloped into a highrise, without giving the family money or flats in the new property. Video of the press conference went viral and Bhujbal, by now with Ajit Pawar-led NCP, had to pay र8.41 crore.

NCP (SP) chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said, “Damania’s research on various subjects is impressive – she places her facts with conviction and confidence in front of the media. In any developing society whistle blowers play an important role in keeping the government on its toes.”

After Beed sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh’s murder, Damania led a crusade against Walmik Karad, who was associated with the case, and is a close aide of NCP leader Dhananjay Munde. When action was not taken immediately, Damania took the protest to Beed and demanded the culprits be brought to book. In the end, the government acted against Karad and Munde was forced to resign from the cabinet.

Damania however is criticised about taking up cudgels against stakeholders who are not in the government or those that the BJP is uncomfortable with.

Recently, when controversy erupted over a land deal involving a Jain outfit and union minister of civil aviation Muralidhar Mohol, bringing a setback to the BJP, Damania’s critics pointed to her silence on the issue, and how she jumped into the controversy over the land deal involving Parth Pawar’s firm. After she furnished incriminating documents, Ajit Pawar announced that his son will cancel the deal.

She also faced criticism from NCP (SP) when her husband Anish Damania was appointed honorary advisor on state planning body MITRA in September 2025. Damania countered the criticism saying, “Anish is the global head of J M Financial. Two people from his office were selected in FICCI. When he became global head, he joined FICCI. And he joined MITRA on an advisory basis without any remuneration.”

Soon after the results of the Assembly elections were announced, Damania had announced plans to float an independent political party, but shelved it as she said, “I found that it’s very difficult to get people who are honest with integrity.”