Before hitting mute for 2 weeks, Nawab Malik fires again at Sameer Wankhede

Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik has accused NCB official Sameer Wankhede of forgery, alleging that he and his family have selectively declared themselves as Hindus to get SC quota benefits including his job in the Indian Revenue Service

MUMBAI: Hours before his lawyer promised the high court not to tweet anything against Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) official Sameer Wankhede for two weeks, Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik on Thursday morning tweeted a new set of documents to reiterate his old charge against the official’s family.

Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik told the Mumbai high court that he will not tweet against NCB official Sameer Wankhede and his family till December 9 when the court against hears a plea by Sameer’s father. (PTI)

Malik tweeted a document purportedly issued on 16 April 2015 by a cemetery clerk in Oshiwara for Sameer Wankhede’s mother Zaheda Bano’s burial which identified her as a Muslim. The death certificate issued by the municipal corporation, however, listed her as a Hindu.

Nawab Malik said this was another instance of the Wankhede family projecting themselves as Hindus in government records to continue getting benefits extended to people from the Scheduled Caste.

Sameer Wankhede declined to comment on the two certificates. “I don’t want to comment on the allegations related to my mother, who is no longer with me. It is really very sad to talk about and remove documents of a person who died six years ago,” the NCB official said.

Malik has alleged that Sameer Wankhede is a Muslim by birth since his father converted to Islam before his marriage to his mother. But he used his father’s previous identity to get a job in the Indian Revenue Services (IRS) under the SC category. Wankhede and his family have all along refuted the claim.

Malik, the state’s minorities affairs minister, told reporters that the fresh set of two documents released on Thursday backed up his charge that the official and his family abused benefits meant for scheduled castes which can be claimed only by Hindus, not Muslims.

“He (Sameer Wankhede’s father Dnyandev) continued the forgery even after his wife’s death. One certificate for last rites and another for government records, so that their government job will not come under danger. It is another proof of forgery,” he added.

“The entire Wankhede family has adopted dual identities. They were following all the Muslim rituals but documents were made as Hindu so that they can continue to get benefits of a backward class,” the minister said.

The minister, who has been tweeting his attacks at Wankhede for weeks, later told the Mumbai high court that he will pause his attacks till December 9, the next date of hearing of an appeal by Sameer Wankhede’s father Dnyandev Wankhede who is seeking a gag order against the minister.

A single bench of justice Madhav Jamdar on November 22 declined to prohibit Nawab Malik from posting documents against the Wankhede family but told the minister to reasonably verify the material before posting it. Dnyandev Wankhede subsequently approached a division bench with his appeal.