Anil Deshmukh seeks to link ex-Mumbai police chief to SUV case

Former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. File pic

Former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh on Tuesday alleged a "very suspicious" role of ex-Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh in the case related to the placing of an explosives-laden SUV near Mukesh Ambani's residence in Mumbai.

The NCP leader said Singh had made false corruption allegations against him out of revenge which prompted him to move the Bombay High Court for justice. Deshmukh said officers from the police department and a few businessmen have levelled allegations of extortion and corruption against Singh, who is now Director General of Maharashtra Home Guard.

"The CBI has filed a case against me based on false allegations made by Param Bir Singh. Hence, I have approached the High Court seeking justice," Deshmukh told reporters at the Nagpur airport. "New allegations of corruption against Param Bir Singh are now surfacing in newspapers and TV channels daily. Many things have come out that make the role of suspended cop Sachin Waze and Param Bir Singh in the case of placing gelatin sticks-laden SUV in the vicinity of Mukesh Ambani's residence and the murder of (Thane businessman) Mansukh Hiran very suspicious. I feel the NIA will also probe his (Singh's) suspicious role in the case," Deshmukh said.

Waze, an accused in the SUV-Hiran murder case, and Singh had made "serious mistakes" which were unpardonable, the former minister said without elaborating. "When the NIA started investigating the matter (SUV-Hiran murder case), to avoid any hindrance I had transferred Singh from the post of Mumbai police commissioner. As a revenge for his transfer, Singh made false allegations against me," Deshmukh claimed.

The NCP leader said his decades-long political career has been blemish-free. "In my 30 years of political career, there has not been a single accusation against me. The CBI has filed a case against me based on false allegations made by Param Bir Singh," he said. Deshmukh resigned in early April after the high court ordered a CBI probe against him into allegations of corruption and misconduct levelled by Singh.

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