A municipal fire tender was allegedly used to clean the bungalow of former Gujarat minister Bachu Khabad in Dahod district. Officials said they recalled the vehicle once they learned its purpose. The civic body later recovered a fine of Rs 2,750 from the MLA after the incident drew sharp criticism.

A fresh political controversy has erupted in Gujarat's Dahod district after a municipal fire tender was allegedly used to wash and spray water at the residence of former minister and Devgadh Baria MLA Bachu Khabad.

Municipal officials said the vehicle was recalled immediately after they learned its purpose, while the civic body claimed that Rs 2,750 was subsequently recovered from Khabad as a fine. The incident has drawn sharp criticism from the Congress, which questioned the alleged VIP treatment extended to the MLA amid water shortages in the area.

According to municipal officials, the fire tender was dispatched after a call was received from the MLA's side. Officials said they were initially unaware that the vehicle was being used for cleaning Khabad's bungalow.

Devgadh Baria Municipality President Dharmesh Kalal said the fire department normally responds to calls without questioning their purpose, particularly when a request comes from an elected representative. He said the vehicle was therefore sent after the call was received, but the operation was stopped immediately after officials learned that water was being sprayed at the bungalow.

Kalal said the billing process was delayed because the incident took place on a Sunday. He claimed that Khabad later paid the applicable charges for the water spraying.

The municipality's chief officer said he had received information about a fire-service call but was unaware that the tender had been summoned to clean the bungalow. Once he learned the actual purpose of the deployment, he ordered the vehicle to be recalled. He further claimed that the municipality recovered Rs 2,750 from the former minister as a fine for the alleged misuse of the fire tender and the water supplied through it.

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The fire officer also said that the vehicle was dispatched after receiving instructions from the municipal president. However, he said he was not told that the tender was being sent to wash the bungalow.

The officer said that after reaching the location and discovering the actual purpose of the deployment, he immediately stopped the operation, recalled the vehicle and informed the chief officer. He added that had he been informed beforehand that the fire tender was required to wash the bungalow, he would not have dispatched it.

TNIE made repeated attempts to contact Khabad for his response and to present his side of the matter. No response had been received from him until the time of publication.

The episode has sparked a wider political debate over the alleged misuse of government machinery for private purposes.

Dahod City Congress President Rajesh Raval described the incident as serious and questioned who authorised the fire tender to travel to the MLA's place. He also questioned why officials allegedly responsible for the deployment were not responding to calls.

Raval linked the controversy to the water shortage faced by residents of Devgadh Baria, claiming that people in the area receive municipal water only once every two days. Against this backdrop, he questioned why an elected representative was allegedly receiving what he described as "VIP service" from municipal resources.

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The Congress leader also warned that municipal officials could face a protest over the issue, arguing that the incident was not merely about water but also about accountability and alleged preferential treatment of those in power.

The latest controversy comes against the backdrop of an earlier row involving Khabad's family. In May 2025, his sons, Balvant Khabad and Kiran Khabad, were arrested by Dahod police in connection with an alleged multi-crore-rupee MGNREGA scam.

Khabad rejected the allegations, describing them as politically motivated and alleging that the Congress was targeting his family. He maintained that his family was involved only in the material supply business.

The controversy also reportedly affected Khabad's political standing. After his family's name surfaced in the alleged scam, the Gujarat government, while maintaining its stated zero-tolerance approach towards corruption, kept him away from several active ministerial responsibilities, legislative proceedings and major government programmes during the same period.

The developments were widely viewed as contributing to his eventual exit from the Gujarat cabinet.

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