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By Venkatesh Raghavan
Mumbai: The former home minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh, currently under judicial custody, has expressed apprehensions that he might not be given a fair trial and has also sought relief from apex court in connection with the ongoing probe against him. Interestingly, it’s been made to look like a turf war, where both the state home minister and the city police commissioner have come under the cloud owing to charges being pressed against them almost in a simultaneous manner.
Deshmukh who stepped down from office following furore in the opposition ranks demanding his resignation, is currently being probed by the nodal agency, namely the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The 72-year-old former cabinet minister is accused of accepting bribe money from bar owners in the state and siphoning these funds to a Nagpur-based educational institution that is being run and managed by the members of his family. The accused is reported to have siphoned funds by using a family run shell company for the purpose.
The then State Home Minister’s troubles began soon after former Mumbai Police Commissioner, Parambir Singh, shot off a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 17, 2001 this year, alleging that two of the police officers in his force, namely Sachin Vaze and Raju Bhujbal were collecting extortion money from bars and restaurants in Mumbai at the behest of Deshmukh.
Deshmukh and Singh being at loggerheads with one another came to public light after the bomb scare alert outside Mukesh Ambani’s Antilia residence in South Mumbai forced the state law enforcing authorities to dig further and further before the investigations were handed over to the nodal agency, namely National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Also read: ED attaches assets of former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh
Interestingly, while the focus of the NIA investigations was against Assistant Police Inspector (API) Sachin Vaze, skeletons started tumbling out of the cupboard soon after the Police Commissioner Parambir Singh accused Anil Deshmukh of allegedly conducting an extortion racket to net INR 100 crores every month from the various bars and watering holes in Mumbai city.
While in connection with the Antilla bomb scare incident, API Vaze and a retired senior police inspector, and former encounter specialist, Pradeep Sharma are lodged in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja jail under murder charges that brought about the death of a Thane resident Mansukh Hirani, Parambir’s allegations against the then sitting home minister was taken serious cognizance of by the Bombay High Court, which ordered a CBI inquiry into the matter.
Meanwhile, Parambir Singh, who had been elevated to the post of Director General, Maharashtra Home Guard, who is currently reported to be in Chandigarh, availing leave from official duty since June this year, is faced with charges of extortion and issuing intimidating threats. The complaints against Singh were filed by two cricket bookies from the city.
Along with Singh, a host of other city police officers and also a freelance journalist have been charged with extortion, assault and conspiracy. The case is being investigated currently by the Mumbai police who have registered four FIRs against the accused persons.
