Mumbai top cop shunted out

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 17

Facing flak over the alleged mishandling of the bomb scare outside billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s residence, the Maharashtra Government today replaced Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh with senior IPS officer Hemant Nagrale.

State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced this following daylong meetings with CM Uddhav Thackeray and other senior leaders.

Ambani security scare

Maha Government is under fire over handling of bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani’s house. On Monday, CM Uddhav Thackeray met NCP chief Sharad Pawar amid reports that arrested cop Sachin Waze stage-managed it on instructions from Param Bir Singh

The developments came after a massive tug-of-war between the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi allies (Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party and Congress) in the past over two weeks after an SUV with explosives was found abandoned outside Antilia, Ambani’s home.

The situation turned grim with the subsequent death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran, the owner of the SUV, and the arrest and suspension of controversial cop Sachin Waze.

Terming Waze and Param Bir Singh “small players”, former CM Devendra Fadnavis alleged those “issuing directions” to Waze are still sitting in the government. “Who will investigate them? This is not the failure of the police, but the government,” he said.

Claiming “deeper links” between Waze and the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis claimed during his tenure, Uddhav and other Sena leaders had approached him to get the cop reinstated.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged Vaze had six businesses and two Shiv Sena leaders were his partners.

Sena leaders claimed Vaze was never an active member of the party.

Vaze was suspended in 2004 in connection with the murder and destruction of evidence in the case related to the custodial death of Khwaja Yunus, a bomb blast accused arrested in 2002.

He joined the Shiv Sena in 2008. Vaze was reinstated last year “due to staff shortage amid the Covid-19 pandemic”.