Julio Ribeiro said that the situation regarding the accusations against Anil Desmukh is “murky.”
Julio Ribeiro, the former senior policeman of Mumbai, Gujarat and Punjab, whose name was suggested today by the head of the Nationalist Congress Party, Sharad Pawar, to investigate the corruption allegations against Maharashtra’s Interior Minister Anil Deshmukh, has said they wouldn’t take over even if it is offered.
“I wouldn’t want to touch this kind of murky situation,” Ribeiro told NDTV in an exclusive interview. “I wouldn’t touch this with a barge … this is a very complicated situation and I don’t know where all this is.” going to lead to. It is better for politicians to figure it out themselves, “he added.
The allegations against Mr. Deshmukh, that he had caught senior officers for extortion fraud and influenced investigations, were made in a letter from Param Bir Singh, who was transferred from the highest post of the Mumbai police to the Interior Guards last week.
Singh was transferred after police officer Sachin Waze was arrested in a case involving a car filled with explosives found near the home of Reliance president Mukesh Ambani earlier this month. There were allegations that Sachin Waze was linked to the death of a man believed to be the owner of the SUV.
In the midst of a major political storm, Sharad Pawar told reporters tonight that there should be a detailed investigation and suggested Ribeiro’s name. “Julio Riberio’s credibility is such that no one can interfere or influence his investigation,” Pawar said.
As the BJP state opposition demanded the removal of Deshmukh, Pawar, an ally in ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi, had questioned the timing of the revelations.
“We must analyze the timing of these accusations against Anil Deshmukh. Why now? Param Bir Singh has made all these accusations after his transfer,” Sharad Pawar told reporters in Delhi.
Mr. Ribeiro also had reservations on the matter. The Mumbai police chief, he said, should have gone to the interior minister and asked him to stop. If the interior minister refused, he should have offered to resign. “That is what a very honest and direct officer should have done,” Ribeiro told NDTV.
The 92-year-old man who led the Mumbai police from 1982 to 1986 and later the Punjab and Gujarat police said such a thing could not have happened in his time. “If now the IPS agents are suspected of extortion and we should all bow our heads in shame,” he said.
When asked about the allegations against the arrested Sachin Vaze, who was accused of having ties to the owner of the explosives-laden van that was found near Ambani’s home, Ribeiro said the officer could not have done this because of his bill.
“Since he reported directly to the police commissioner, I think the police commissioner should also take his (part of) the blame. How could (Sachin Waze) have done that without someone’s blessings? He’s just a police inspector. assistant which is a very, very minor rank, “he added.
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