Pawar again backs Anil Deshmukh, cites Covid-19 diagnosis to question Param Bir

NCP chief Sharad Pawar said that Deshmukh was in a hospital for Covid-19 treatment between February 5 and 15 in Nagpur and was later home quarantined in that city. In his letter to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, Singh had mentioned meeting Deshmukh “in and around mid-February.”

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said on Monday it was Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s prerogative to decide if there should be a probe into the allegations levelled by Param Bir Singh, the former commissioner of Mumbai Police, against home minister Anil Deshmukh. Deshmukh has been accused by Singh of asking arrested assistant police inspector (API) Sachin Vaze to “accumulate ₹100 crore per month from bars, restaurants and other establishments in the city.”

“I won’t be making any such demand… I am absolutely clear that the allegations made against Deshmukh are incorrect as he was in Nagpur,” Pawar said addressing reporters at his residence in Delhi.

In his letter to Shiv Sena chief Thackeray, Singh had mentioned meeting Deshmukh at his residence “in and around mid-February.” It was at this meeting, the senior police officer alleged that the home minister gave Vaze the target to accumulate ₹100 crore a month.

The senior NCP leader once again backed Deshmukh citing coronavirus disease. “Former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh in his letter stated that Sachin Vaze met the home minister in mid-February whereas the hospital certificate clearly states that he was hospitalised for Covid-19 treatment between February 5 and 15 in Nagpur. Later, he was home quarantined in Nagpur,” Pawar said.

Speaking about the ongoing probe by the Maharashtra Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) into businessman Mansukh Hiran’s death, Pawar remarked that it was going in the right direction and that two people have been arrested in connection with the case. The Thane-based Hiran was the owner of the explosive-laden SUV that was found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai on February 25. He was found dead on March 5.

After a meeting at Pawar’s residence in Delhi last night, NCP leader Jayant Patil had said that Deshmukh would not be asked to resign. Deshmukh has already dismissed allegations made by Singh and threatened the police officer with a defamation case. Singh was transferred as the commandant general of Home Guards last Wednesday over his ‘mishandling’ of the probe into the Ambani bomb scare case.