Mumbai Police has formed a Special Investigation Team to examine an audio clip circulated by Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange that allegedly refers to a Rs 500 crore payment and a political campaign against him. The probe follows a directive from Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and will include forensic and technical analysis of the recording.
Mumbai police commissioner Deven Bharti constituted the SIT on Monday, according to an order issued by the commissioner’s office. Additional commissioner of police for the South Region, Shailesh Balkawade, will head the team. Deputy commissioners of police Vijaykant Sagar of Zone 3 and Bajrang Bansode of the Cyber Crime unit are its members.
The commissioner has authorised the SIT chief to appoint additional officers as required and submit periodic progress reports. The order states that the team will conduct a forensic examination of the audio clip, undertake other necessary technical analyses and carry out a detailed and impartial investigation.
The recording was circulated publicly a few days before the police action after Jarange played or referred to it at a conference on October 22. The audio reportedly mentions several individuals by name and refers to alleged financial transactions involving substantial sums. One voice in the clip is heard saying that “Rs 500 crore delivered to Jarange Patil, through MP Shrikant Shinde”.
The voices in the recording resemble those of a BJP legislator, the party’s state social media in-charge and a political commentator, according to the report. The reported teleconference appears to have taken place during the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections, when Jarange’s agitation over Maratha reservation had attracted significant support across Maharashtra.
The speakers in the audio are also reported to have discussed a strategy to target Jarange and gain political advantage. The identity of the voices, the authenticity of the recording and the alleged payment have not been established by the investigation. The SIT’s forensic examination is expected to address whether the audio has been edited or manipulated and whether the voices can be reliably identified.
Jarange has denied receiving the alleged payment and described the recording as part of a conspiracy to defame him, silence his campaign and weaken the Maratha reservation agitation. He has alleged that Shiv Sena leader and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and Fadnavis were involved in the alleged effort. These allegations remain contested and are now part of the wider context the police team will examine.
The case places the police investigation at the intersection of digital evidence, political communication and a movement that has repeatedly shaped public debate over reservation policy in Maharashtra. The commissioner’s order gives the SIT responsibility for establishing the evidentiary status of the clip rather than treating the claims circulating around it as proven facts.
The next formal steps are the forensic and technical examination of the recording, identification of the voices and submission of progress reports by the SIT under the authority of the additional commissioner heading the investigation.
