Param Bir Singh, Mumbai Police Commissioner who was shunted recently to Home Guards office, alleged in a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackery that Home Minister Anil Deshmukh demanded INR 100 crore every month as extortion money. Anil Deshmukh asked the police officers to collect 3 lakh each from the 1,750 hotels, bars and restaurants operating in Mumbai, alleges Singh in his letter.
Singh claimed further that arrested police officer Sachin Waze was assigned for this task by the home minister. Waze was arrested by the NIA in the Mukesh Ambani Bomb Scare case.
Mansukh Hiren, whose vehicle with gelatin sticks inside was found parked outside Mukesh Ambani’s house, was later found dead. Hiren’s wife accused Waze of murdering her husband. The Union Home Ministry transferred the murder case to NIA on March 20.
Pointing fingers at Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh wrote in his letter, “It has been my experience during the last more than one year as Commissioner of Police, Mumbai that the Hon’ble Home Minister has on numerous occasions called several officers from the Mumbai Police to his official residence at Dyaneshwar for giving instructions to adopt a specific course of action in police investigations. These acts of political interference are illegal & unconstitutional and Courts in our country including the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India have in the past come down heavily on such acts of interference in police investigations. In the event of my expressing reservations against the interference from the Hon’ble Home Minister and resistance from me in that regard, the Hon’ble Home Minister has found my reservations and resistance undesirable. “
Singh also accused Deshmukh od interfering in other cases including the suicide of the Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP.
Reacting to the incident, senior BJP leader and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “We demand the home minister’s resignation. If he doesn’t, then Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray must remove him. An impartial probe must be conducted. The letter also says the chief minister was informed about this earlier, so why didn’t he act on it?”
