Former IPS officer K.P. Raghuvanshi has made startling revelations about political interference during his tenure, claiming he “had to pay the price” for refusing to arrest high-profile Hindutva leaders under pressure from the UPA government. These claims are detailed in his biography, Troubleshooter, written by Jitendra Dixit.
The book launch drew a star-studded audience from India’s security establishment, including former RaW chief V. Balachandran, ex-DGP A.N. Roy, Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti, ex-CBI director Subodh Jayaswal, ex-DGP Rashmi Shukla, and ATS chief Nawal Bajaj.
Over his 35-year career, Raghuvanshi led critical units like the Special Task Force (STF) handling the 1993 Mumbai riots investigation, the Maharashtra ATS, and the Thane Police Commissionerate. He also raised the C-60 anti-Naxal commando force in Gadchiroli.
According to the biography, Raghuvanshi was abruptly removed as Maharashtra ATS chief in 2010. The book claims a senior UPA minister pressured him to arrest RSS functionary Indresh Kumar in connection with the 2008 Malegaon blast. Raghuvanshi refused, citing insufficient evidence, which reportedly fueled suspicions that he was “hand in glove” with the accused.
The biography also recounts Raghuvanshi’s confrontations over Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. During the 1993 Mumbai riots investigation, then Maharashtra Home Minister Chhagan Bhujbal allegedly asked him in 2000:
“Raghuvanshi… Suryavanshi, whoever you are… why are you scared of arresting Bal Thackeray?”
Despite the Srikrishna Commission indicting Thackeray for inciting violence, STF legal advisors warned against prosecution, as key witnesses failed to appear. Raghuvanshi resisted the pressure to avoid a legal embarrassment, recalling a prior case where the court quickly disposed of Thackeray’s case due to it being time-barred.
The book claims Raghuvanshi also faced pressure from then Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who reportedly took him to Delhi to brief Sonia Gandhi on the case’s progress, reflecting the Congress party’s 1999 election promise to act on Srikrishna Commission recommendations.
Troubleshooter is filled with anecdotes from Raghuvanshi’s career, from confronting terrorists and gangsters to navigating political pressures and internal police dynamics. Raghuvanshi retired in 2015 as Director General of Maharashtra Security Force and now heads the ethics and vigilance unit for IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals.
