Mumbai, May 27 -- The Maharashtra home department, headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, has asked the additional director general (jails) to investigate allegations that the special inspector general (prisons), Jalindar Supekar, tried to shield the accused in the Vaishnavi Hagawane dowry harassment-suicide case. Supekar is the uncle of Vaishnavi's husband, Shashank. Vaishnavi, the daughter-in-law of expelled Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Rajendra Hagawane, died by suicide on May 16 at her marital home in Pimpri-Chinchwad, near Pune. Her family has alleged that she was tortured by her husband's family for dowry, which included demands of Rs.2 crore. The police have already arrested Rajendra Hagawane and his son Sushil in the case. Following the incident, social activist Anjali Damania alleged that Supekar was protecting the Hagawane family. Supekar has denied the allegations, saying he was "a distant relative" of the Hagawanes. However, after the case sparked significant public and political outrage, the state home department has stepped in and demanded an inquiry into the allegations. "I have received the papers sent by Damania [in support of her allegations]," said Radhika Rastogi, additional chief secretary (appeals and security) in the home department. "I have asked the additional director general of jails, Suhas Warke, to investigate the matter and send a report to me." Sources said Rastogi has also requested Fadnavis to relieve Supekar from the additional charge given to him as the deputy inspector general of the Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Nagpur divisions of the jail department, as the accused members of the Hagawane family are likely to end up in one of the jails soon. This was after Damania demanded Supekar be stripped of his additional charge as the Hagawane family would soon be in judicial custody and he "may give them favours". She also said that Supekar was given the additional charge despite an alleged Rs.500-crore scam in the purchase of ration and other materials for prisons in the state. Damania had also alleged that Supekar had helped the Hagawanes get arms licences. Responding to the allegations, Supekar condemned the acts of the Hagawanes and said he hadn't been in contact with them for the last two months. He also flatly denied that he had any role to play in getting them arms licences....