Gadchiroli additional collector Rajendra Kanfade, who is facing an inquiry for speaking out against Home Minister P Chidambaram after his visit to the region, has lauded his Manmad counterpart's honesty

THE bravery of Manmad additional collector Yashwant Sonawane, who was burnt alive when he took on petrol robbers, has inspired his Gadchiroli counterpart, Rajendra Kanfade, who is facing a departmental inquiry for criticising Home Minister P Chidambaram after his visit to the region.

On December 28, Kanfade had said, "Roaming in helicopters and having meetings in air-conditioned offices will not solve the naxal issue." ('They seem to prefer guns to development' MiD DAY, Dec 30)

Speaking about the Malegaon incident, Kanfade said, "There was a sense of de-motivation, but it lasted only for a little while.
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You can expect no better from people who are corrupt. They have killed people in the past and are now immune to the act. What happened to Sonawane is sad and the people behind it must have a strong backing."

He said, however, that the incident has given him more strength to fight the corrupt.

"This incident has proved that there are people (like Sonawane) who are still honest towards their profession. This will bring all the honest people together and we will fight against the corrupt with full force."

Kanfade himself has faced many obstacles in his fight against the corrupt. "Earlier, when I was posted in rural areas, I always had to face a problem when I tried to catch people who were involved in illegal mining. People have even tried pushing me off running trucks, but I managed to survive," he said.

Meanwhile, sources in the Gadchiroli collectorate told MiD DAY that an inquiry would soon be set up against Kanfade under the Maharashtra Civil Services Conduct Rules, 1979, which prohibits any government officer to speak to the media without prior permission from higher ups.
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"The report says that Kanfade criticised the government's policies and officers in the media. This was very careless on his part and has worked against him," said an official from the collectorate.
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Kanfade, however, claims he hasn't got any letter about an inquiry against him.