Opinion | ‘Extortion order to police’: Maharashtra Home Minister’s role should be probed
The ongoing political drama in Maharashtra over the ‘extortion’ cost levelled towards Home Minister Anil Deshmukh by the shunted Mumbai Police chief has now put the way forward for the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition authorities at stake.
NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, after calling for a probe into ex-police chief Parambir Singh’s cost, has now executed a U-turn, and has given his Home Minister a clear chit. On Monday, the previous police chief approached the Supreme Court difficult his switch and demanded a CBI probe into the extortion cost.
The ruling BJP members rocked each Houses of Parliament on Monday demanding a CBI probe, however NCP chief Sharad Pawar is unfazed. He dominated out the Home Minister’s resignation and claimed, the minister was quarantined at his Nagpur residence throughout the time, he was alleged to have requested cops to gather extortion cash. The Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamna referred to as Parambir Singh a “BJP pawn” who’s getting used to topple the coalition authorities.
In his press convention on Monday, Sharad Pawar produced a certificates from a Nagpur hospital which stated Deshmukh was there from February 5 until 15, due to Covid-19 an infection, and he was then in residence quarantine from February 15 until 27. Pawar claimed that the allegation a couple of assembly the place Deshmukh allegedly mentioned “collecting Rs 100 crore” from bar homeowners have been false. “The question of his resignation does not arise”, stated the NCP supremo.
BJP leaders together with former CM Devendra Fadnavis instantly tweeted to counter Pawar’s declare. They stated, Deshmukh had addressed the media on February 15. Fadnavis tweeted, “It seems Sharad Pawar Ji is not briefed properly on Parambir Singh letter. In this letter only, the SMS evidence shows that the meeting date was mentioned as end of February. Now who is diverting issue?” Fadnavis added the SMS dialog between Parambir and his officers, and likewise retweeted Anil Deshmukh’s video posted by him on Twitter on February 15, exhibiting he was addressing media.
On his half, Anil Deshmukh admitted that he certainly spoke to media on February 15, after popping out of hospital, after which flew to Mumbai. Pawar alleged that the allegations towards Deshmukh appeared to be an try to disturb the probe into the “main case” in regards to the explosives-laden automobile exterior Mukesh Ambani’s residence and the alleged homicide of the automobile proprietor. He stated, “there are some names which need to be probed which some people may not like, and thus, allegations (of extortion) were made against Deshmukh. I don’t want the probe to be diverted.”
In his writ petition earlier than the Supreme Court, Parambir Singh has stated, “the petitioner submits that unbiased, uninfluenced, impartial and fair investigation is immediately required in the corrupt malpractices of Deshmukh before the evidence is destroyed.”
In his writ petition, Parambir Singh has stated that he “was apprehending further malicious and coercive actions against him at the instance of disgruntled home minister (Anil Deshmukh) in abuse of his powers.” In the petition, Parambir Singh talked about how he “brought the corrupt practices of Deshmukh” within the information of senior leaders and chief minister. He additionally talked about how “On 24th/25th August, 2020, Rashmi Shukla, Commissioner, Intelligence, state intelligence department, had brought to the notice of DGP, who in turn brought to the knowledge of Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, “corrupt malpractices in postings/transfers by” Deshmukh “based on telephonic interception”. The petition stated, ‘Shukla was shunted out reasonably than taking any agency motion” towards Deshmukh.
The complete matter has now taken a political flip. Sharad Pawar appears to be rising because the ‘mahanayak’ (prime hero), Anil Deshmukh is the ‘khalnayak’ (villain) and Devendra Fadnavis is ‘aakramak’ (aggressive).
Shiv Sena and NCP leaders allege that the Antilia case suspect Sachin Vaze was Parambir Singh’s man and the ex-police chief knew every act being executed by Vaze. They allege that when Vaze’s identify cropped up after the Antilia incident, Vaze was referred to as to his residence by the police chief.
My info is that, Parmabir Singh questioned Vaze for almost two hours. He was repeatedly requested whether or not he had any role in it, and he flatly denied. Parambir referred to as Vaze once more, when the latter wrote on his WhatsApp standing that he needed to say farewell to this world. The police chief requested him not to take the acute step, and never to write such issues on social media. At that point, Vaze had a horrible headache and the police chief gave him a Dispirin pill. Several senior cops had implored the police chief to persuade Vaze not to take the acute step.
I’ve come to know that when Vaze was arrested by NIA within the Antilia case, Parambir Singh instructed his shut officers that Vaze stored him at the hours of darkness by telling a lie. Parambir instructed senior officers that he had absolutely trusted Vaze based mostly on his replies, his confidence and angle. He by no means anticipated Vaze would inform him a lie.
In his writ petition earlier than the Supreme Court, Parambir Singh has stated that he has been made a scapegoat solely on the idea of speculations and conjectures. In his petition, he identified that within the organizational construction of Mumbai Police, there have been no less than 5 officers within the chain of command between him and Vaze. There are 5 Joint Commissioners in Mumbai Police, and the Antilia explosive case was sorted by Joint Commissioner, Crime. He is assisted by an Additional CP of Crime Branch. The Additional CP is assisted by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, who’s in command of Crime Detection. Under him, works an Assistant Commissioner of Police, who takes care of instances of extortion, crime intelligence, properties and theft. If it’s beneath the ACP, that Sachin Vaze headed the Crime Intelligence Unit.
In his petition, Parambir Singh has identified that the Home Minister bypassed 5 cops, and he used to name Vaze immediately. The ex-police chief has alleged that he was transferred not due to the Antilia probe, however due to another ulterior motive. Shiv Sena and NCP at the moment are alleging that the ex-police chief has joined fingers with BJP chief Devendra Fadnavis, and his fundamental motive is to get himself transferred on deputation to the Centre. They allege that the previous police chief wrote the explosive letter to the Chief Minister, after calling on Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi. Some others have alleged that Parambir Singh desires to be part of politics after taking VRS, since he’s now 59 years outdated. NCP chief and state minister Nawab Malik claims he has full particulars about whom Parambir Singh met throughout his keep in Delhi and the assurances that he has been given by some prime BJP leaders.
I’ve checked and located that neither Parambir Singh has utilized for deputation to Centre until date nor he has any plan to achieve this. Secondly, he has reportedly instructed his shut pals that he would proceed to work as DGP, Home Guards, and that he wouldn’t go for VRS. Thirdly, he has stated that he has not visited Delhi nor met any BJP chief not too long ago. I’ve acquired this confirmed from my sources in authorities that he didn’t meet Amit Shah in Delhi. People shut to the previous police chief say, each time any person asks him whether or not he intends to be part of politics, he replies with a loud guffaw, and says he was neither match for politics, neither is politics match for a senior police officer like him.
We can not say that each Anil Deshmukh and Parambir Singh are morally proper or incorrect. One of them is morally proper, and the opposite is incorrect. Hence a radical probe is required, the disclosures are there and the info should come out. This unprecedented cost of extortion levelled by a police chief towards his Home Minister is the primary of its variety within the nation. It has tarnished the picture of Mumbai Police, however it’s unusual {that a} seasoned chief like Sharad Pawar, who has spent three-fourth of his life within the tough and tumble of politics, has come out in defence of his Home Minister.
I personally know Sharad Pawar for the final 45 years. In 1978, he turned Maharashtra’s youngest chief minister. I’ve by no means seen Pawar so frightened and uneasy, as he was on Monday at his press convention. This extortion cost levelled towards his chief by a senior IPS officer, has made Pawar uneasy. Pawar is a frontrunner who by no means addresses two press conferences in a span of 24 hours. Never up to now, did he present paperwork in defence of his social gathering man.
On Sunday, Pawar instructed media that the matter should be totally probed, and the next day, he provides a clear chit to his minister. On one hand, the NCP chief is defending his chief, and then again, a nonplussed Chief Minister (Uddhav Thackeray) is watching the unfolding episode in silence. The ex-police chief is asking the Supreme Court to direct the CBI to take all CCTV digital camera footage from the house and workplace of the Home Minister. This will nail the lie that the minister was in residence quarantine, and he didn’t meet any police officer.
To me, this seems to be a case, the place a single reply to a query, evokes extra questions. Much has already occurred and is going on behind the display, extra info are being hid reasonably being positioned within the open. Questions are being raised as to why the ex-police chief took such a very long time to pull the skeletons out of the closet. Why was he silent so lengthy? Did the sudden switch made him a insurgent? When Sachin Vaze was a confidante of Parambir, why didn’t he inform him in regards to the Rs 100 crore extortion demand?
I’ve discovered that Parambir Singh knew a lot of the info, however there have been a number of different info which couldn’t have been in his information. But Parambir Singh is agency on his extortion cost, he not solely wrote the letter to the CM, but in addition detailed extra info in his writ petition to the Supreme Court. For the embattled Thackeray authorities, the matter has now spilled from authorities information to the very best courtroom of the land.
Politics is a perplexing, however fascinating sport. It takes ages to unravel the intricate secrets and techniques that shroud the kernel of closed room politics. Today, Shiv Sena and NCP leaders are alleging that the BJP is utilizing Parambir Singh as a pawn in a political sport, it’s the BJP who made the ex-police chief write the explosive letter, it’s the BJP which goaded Parambir Singh to file his writ petition in Supreme Court. It is being alleged that Parambir has a Nagpur connection.
These allegations are stunning as a result of solely a month in the past, Parambir Singh was the blue-eyed boy for Shiv Sena and NCP leaders. The SS mouthpiece Saamna used to write eulogies for the Mumbai Police chief. The Shiv Sena used to label him as probably the most trustworthy and environment friendly police officer. But now, in Shiv Sena’s view, Parambir has crossed over to the BJP and he’s being led by Devendra Fadnavis. From the opposite facet, when SS and NCP leaders used to reward Parambir, BJP leaders in Maharashtra used to describe Parambir because the Chief Minister’s puppet. BJP leaders used to allege that Parambir used to slap instances towards them on the behest of Shiv Sena and NCP.
Within every week, the tables have turned. SS and NCP leaders now allege that Parambir exploded the ‘letter bomb’ as a result of his identify was going to determine within the Antilia explosive case. Now the Home Minister Anil Deshmukh is trying into instances through which Parambir Singh can be nailed.
I personally really feel that we should not waste our time attempting to discover out why Parambir Singh despatched the ‘letter bomb’. Rather, the sensational expenses made by the police chief in his letter should be investigated on prime precedence. The cost {that a} Home Minister is asking cops to gather Rs 100 crore extortion cash from restaurant and bar homeowners is a critical one. More so, when the cost is levelled by a Police Commissioner.
The fact should come out. If the cost is proved true, it doesn’t matter who wrote the letter, when and why. It is the picture of Mumbai Police that’s at stake. It is the picture of the town police power, that was thought of one of the best one after London’s Scotland Yard. The probe may also put to check the credibility of Maharashtra authorities and the potential of Chief Minister Thackeray. The sooner we get the solutions, the higher.
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