NCP Pune city chief Deepak Mankar resigns after forgery FIR

Mankar, along with Raunak Jain and Shantanu Kukde – his former aides – have been named in an FIR alleging that they had forged documents to conceal certain financial transactions, said police

Deepak Mankar, city chief of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) submitted his resignation from the post on Tuesday, a day after Pune police filed a case of forgery against him.

In his resignation addressed to party chief Ajit Pawar, Mankar denied any wrongdoing and said he was being targeted “by people with vested interests envious of his political success”. (HT PHOTO)

Mankar, along with Raunak Jain and Shantanu Kukde – his former aides – have been named in an FIR alleging that they had forged documents to conceal certain financial transactions, said police.

In his resignation addressed to party chief Ajit Pawar, Mankar denied any wrongdoing and said he was being targeted “by people with vested interests envious of his political success”.

“A land deal that took place three to four years ago is being used to level baseless allegations against me. These claims remain unverified, yet efforts are being made to tarnish my reputation, especially with the municipal elections around the corner,” Mankar told HT.

Stating that he did not want the party to get caught up in unwarranted controversy, Mankar urged the leadership to relieve him of his responsibilities.

“I have always worked with honesty under the guidance of Ajitdada and state president Sunil Tatkare. I now step down as the city unit president,” he said in a press note.

Kukde, who was earlier associated with NCP, is in judicial custody in a separate case following accusations of sexual assault against two women — one of them a minor — under the pretext of offering them financial help through his NGO, the Red House Foundation.

Investigators found that between September and October 2024, a sum of ₹1.18 crore had been transferred from the Red House Foundation’s bank account to Mankar’s bank account. Police suspect this was part of a series of questionable financial dealings involving Kukde, Jain and others.

Earlier, Mankar, during his statement to the police, said the money was part of a land transaction with Jain. He claimed a five-acre plot was being sold for ₹5.51 crore, and ₹1.18 crore was received as an initial payment. He also presented a sale deed on stamp paper to back the claim, but police said that the document was found to be forged upon verification.