Pune: Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has filed an FIR against former corporator Santosh Kamble, husband of sitting BJP corporator Trupti Kamble, and two others for allegedly demolishing a structure at Constitution Chowk in Old Sangvi without civic permission, causing an estimated loss of Rs5 lakh to public property.The case was registered on Oct 21, more than a week after the civic body’s ‘H’ ward office wrote to police, seeking action. The incident took place on Oct 14, when Santosh Kamble allegedly brought an earthmover operator and a labourer to the chowk. The Constitution’s Preamble installed at the site was removed and shifted to a Buddha Vihar before the remaining structure was demolished, according to the complaint.The structure was due for renovation using Rs10 lakh from corporator Trupti Kamble’s fund. However, civic officials said the mandatory procedures, including tendering and obtaining permissions from the relevant departments, had not been completed. The process was delayed due to the model code of conduct in force for the legislative council elections, they said.Santosh Kamble told reporters that a proposal seeking renovation of the chowk had already been submitted to the civic body and was pending approval.A senior officer from Sangvi police station said a case had been registered against three people under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, among other applicable laws. Further investigation is underway.Meanwhile, Congress workers staged a protest in Sangvi, demanding strict action against those responsible. Narendra Bansode, president of the Pimpri Chinchwad city district Congress committee, called the demolition an insult to the Constitution and demanded that a sedition case be registered against the accused. “The Preamble of the Indian Constitution, authored by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, was removed and the structure demolished without prior permission on the occasion of Dhammachakra Pravartan Din. Civic officials have confirmed that the work was carried out without the necessary authorisation. We demand strict action and an impartial inquiry,” Bansode said.
