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The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Prafulla Marpakwar | TNN

Ex-Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh shivering when quizzed, says former Maharashtra minister Anil Deshmukh

MUMBAI: Former home minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday told the Justice K U Chandiwal commission that the then Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh when summoned to the council hall was in the dark and was shivering when asked about the planting of explosives in an SUV parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence and murder of the vehicle owner, Mansukh Hiran.

Justice Chandiwal is probing into the allegations made by Singh in his March 20, 2021, letter to the chief minister levelling allegations against Deshmukh of demanding assistant police inspector Sachin Waze (now dismissed) to collect money from bar owners for him. Later, Singh almost backed out, saying he would neither like to depose before the commission nor he would like to be cross-examined by the witnesses.

“When myself and three additional chief secretaries sought details of the incident, Singh was virtually shivering. He told us he was unaware of the bomb scare episode. We insisted upon Singh, when Waze was so proximate to him, how it could be that he was unaware of the event,’’ Deshmukh said. Further, he said, when a few senior officers suggested to transfer the probe to the anti-terrorism squad (ATS), Singh opposed and insisted that Mumbai police continue the investigation. On March 6, 2021, a decision was taken to entrust the probe to the ATS, and on the same day Waze was shifted out of the crime intelligence unit.

When Waze’s counsel Yogesh Naidu asked Deshmukh about the dismissed cop’s style of functioning, he said his pattern of working was discussed and indicated in the report submitted by joint commissioner of police Milind Bharambe on March 30, 2021. Deshmukh said he agreed with part of the report where it was mentioned that Waze was not reporting to senior officials in the crime branch and that he restrained all his subordinates from reporting to senior crime branch officials and in all sensitive cases, he used to accompany Singh for briefing to the cabinet members.

When asked if Bharambe was asked to conduct a probe into Singh’s letter, Deshmukh said he was not aware. “As home minister, I never asked Bharambe to conduct an inquiry. I have no idea as to whether the CM directed such an inquiry to the additional chief secretary through the police chief,” he said.

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