One day after the former Mumbai Police Chief Param Bir Singh presented serious accusations of corruption Against the Interior Minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh, the head of the CPN, Sharad Pawar, assigned the responsibility to address the consequences of the accusations against the main representative of his party in the state cabinet on the main minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Pawar suggested an independent investigation into the allegations by someone “who inspires respect in both the police administration and the general public” and recommended retired IPS officer Julio Rebeiro for the role; Ribeiro, however, described the situation as “very murky” and said he would reject any such request.
Pawar also acknowledged that there were “serious failures on the part of certain sections of the Mumbai police” that have led to the reputation of the force “being lowered in the public eye.”
The former Union minister described Singh’s allegations as “far-fetched” and said the IPS official had not brought them up during a meeting to inform him and Thackeray. However, he confirmed that Singh had complained of “political interference” in the police department.
At a press conference in Delhi on Sunday, Pawar said: “Accusations have been made and it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister to make an appropriate decision on this matter. The CM has full authority to make a decision regarding these allegations and conduct an investigation into them. “
Later, the head of the Maharashtra NCP, Jayant Patil, said after attending a meeting with Pawar that “there is no question” in calling for Deshmukh’s resignation.
On Saturday, three days after being dispatched to Interior Guards in the wake of the bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani’s home, Singh wrote to Thackeray, alleging that Deshmukh had asked Deputy Police Inspector Sachin Waze, then arrested for the NIA in the case, to collect Rs 100 crore each month, including Rs 40-50 crore from around 1,750 bars and restaurants in Mumbai.
Singh also suggested that he was being made a “scapegoat” and that his transfer was the price he had to pay for resisting the Home Secretary’s “interference” in the work of the force.
Pawar said: “The accusations have been made by the Mumbai police authority against the State Interior Minister. In addition, some sections of the Mumbai police have committed serious lapses that have affected the reputation of the force. I feel that an in-depth investigation is needed by a person who inspires respect in both the police administration and the general public. I do not know if he will accept to assume this responsibility, but I am going to suggest to the Chief Minister that he appoint the former PC of Mumbai, Julio Ribeiro, to carry out an investigation into this case ”.
However, when contacted by The Indian Express, Ribeiro, who is known for his record as an honored officer while on duty, said: “If they ask me to conduct an investigation, I will refuse. Please understand that I am 92 years old. I do not have the ability to do such research. Even if I had the ability, I would have refused because this is a very shady matter and it is not intended for people like me. “
Ribeiro said that Pawar is “aware of everything” and should carry out an investigation against Deshmukh. “The investigation must be carried out by Sharad Pawar himself. He is the head of the party. They know everything and must act. And they will have to do it because people are fed up with all this now, ”he said.
When asked if he would recommend someone else, Ribeiro said, “I have no intention of recommending and putting poor and good people in this situation. It’s very, very cloudy and very, very complicated. It is not just about low-level politics, but also large-scale corruption and now the murder allegations are attributed to the Mumbai police. All of this is happening thanks to ambitious police officers and unscrupulous politicians. “
Ribeiro, who was awarded Padma Bhushan in 1987, has served as a police commissioner in Mumbai and as a general director of police in Gujarat and Punjab. On March 18, in a column for The Indian Express, he had raised a series of questions about Waze and the bomb scare case. “Will this issue bring more high-ranking police chiefs under the scanner? Why was Waze reset? Why did they give you such a delicate post? Why was he not assigned tasks related to Covid, on what pretext was he reinstated? These questions must be answered, ”Ribeiro wrote.
Meanwhile, Pawar remained evasive about whether the PNC would take action against Deshmukh. “That decision is the responsibility of the Chief Minister. He will decide after talking with us. We will also have an internal discussion within the party and listen to what Deshmukh has to say, ”he said.
Later on Sunday, Pawar held a 90-minute meeting with the head of the state CPN, Patil, and the chief deputy minister, Ajit Pawar, at his residence in Delhi.
“There is no need to divert attention from the main issue, which is the placing of explosives outside the murder of Antilia and Mansukh Hiran. Our government’s emphasis continues to be finding the perpetrators behind these incidents, ”said Patil, who is also the state’s Minister of Water Resources.
During the previous press conference, Pawar also questioned Param Bir Singh’s allegations and said that during their meeting he had not raised the issues listed in the letter. “In his letter, he said that he had informed both me and the CM of Maharashtra. However, in your report and in your letter, there is no information on whether any money was actually raised and whether this money was ever transferred to the Minister of the Interior from his staff. These are all accusations, ”he said.
Pawar said he believed Singh had made these accusations because he was removed from office. “He has raised these wild accusations only when the government made a conscious decision to move him from his post as PC from Mumbai to a less senior post. Before his transfer, he never mentioned such a thing or made any accusations against the Minister of the Interior, ”he said.
Pawar, however, confirmed that Singh had complained of “political interference”. “Singh had met me before his transfer and told me it was about changing his position. He said it would be an injustice to him if he moved. He also told me that there was political interference in his department, ”he said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena, led by Thackeray, was silent on the allegations.
Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said: “The allegations are very serious. People call it a letter bomb, but the prime minister or Pawar Saheb will see how much truth it has. Because Anil Deshmukh himself has requested a consultation in the letter. In the aftermath of this incident, each partner in the government alliance must do some introspection. They need to check if their feet are on the ground. “
Raut said: “The Chief Minister has done a lot to maintain the dignity of this government. Certain officers should have been checked at the right time. “
.
