A SENIOR officer in Gujarat’s Chief Minister’s Office resigned on Friday over links between his son, a BJP-affiliated businessman, and conman Kiran Patel, who is in J&K jail for impersonating a Prime Minister’s Office employee.

Hitesh Pandya, the Gujarat CMO’s additional public relations officer, resigned Friday evening after nearly 22 years in the office, where he worked under five chief ministers, including Keshubhai Patel, Narendra Modi, Anandiben Patel, Vijay Rupani, and Bhupendra Patel.

“I have tendered my resignation to the Chief Minister”, Pandya, 73, said.

He further said, “Nobody asked me to step down. I felt compelled to resign. I’ll complete my outstanding tasks by March 31 and leave the office”.

CMO Official confession

Hitesh Pandya confessed that his 43-year-old son Amit, along with Kiran Patel, had visited J&K this month “for business purposes” with his permission. Amit and another man named Jay Sitapara were with Kiran Patel when he was arrested earlier this month in J&K. J&K police have summoned Amit and Sitapara for questioning in the case.

Hitesh Pandya claims that Amit is “innocent” and “a witness” in the case against Kiran Patel. When asked about his son’s present location, Pandya stated, “He is in Kashmir”. And I’ve been saying since the beginning that he’d been summoned (by J&K police) to record his statement as a witness”.

According to Mr. Pandya, his son’s company Safe Solution sells home security products such as CCTV cameras. He further stated that Amit was a member of the BJP and served as the convener of the party’s social media unit in Gujarat’s North Zone.

Pandya claims that Amit left for J&K with Kiran Patel “after asking me”. “He had gone for business… He wanted to present a business proposal involving CCTVs”, he explained.

“Following Kiran’s arrest, Amit and Jay were placed in a hotel and their statements were recorded.” They were then let go and told to report whenever they were summoned… “As a witness, his statement was recorded”, Hitesh Pandya said.

“After learning about the case (from Amit), I immediately informed the Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel) and others who I felt needed to be informed”, Hitesh Pandya added.

Also read: Jammu and Kashmir Cops To Question Gujarat Conman’s Aides