State refutes allegations of Ranas’ ‘ill-treatment’ at police station

The state home department is relying on the CCTV footage, which will prove that the allegations of ill-treatment at a police station are unfounded, a home official said.

Mumbai Refuting the allegations of Independent parliamentarian Navneet Kaur Rana’s ‘ill-treatment at a police station’, state home minister Dilip Walse Patil said that he did not find any substance in her claims.

On Tuesday, Anand Limaye, additional chief secretary of the state home department, was asked to prepare the report, which is expected to be submitted to state chief secretary Manukumar Srivastava by Tuesday evening (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

He further said that the state government will send its report to the Centre within the given deadline.

On Tuesday, Anand Limaye, additional chief secretary of the state home department, was asked to prepare the report, which is expected to be submitted to state chief secretary Manukumar Srivastava by Tuesday evening. Srivastava will send the report to the union ministry of home affairs (MHA), officials said.

The state home department is relying on the CCTV footage, which will prove that the allegations are unfounded, a home official said.

“I went into the details of the allegations and found them baseless. Lok Sabha speaker (Om Birla) has sought a factual report following the letter written by Navneet Rana, which the state government will send within the given deadline,” Walse Patil said, adding, “people can make any claims, but police will follow the law. They do not take any decision bypassing the law. The action taken in this case thus far was according to the rules and they are appropriate as well.”

Later in the evening, Patil said, “We have CCTV footage of all the places and police stations where the Rana couple were taken that are enough to debunk her claims.”

Earlier in the day, Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey also released a 12-second CCTV footage from Khar police station where the Rana couple can be seen having tea.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that the BJP is trying to defame the Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey. “First of all, action should be taken against Navneet Rana as her caste certificate is fake. However, today Sanjay Pandey (Mumbai police commissioner) proved that her allegations against the police are baseless,” Raut told reporters.

He also said that the leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis is misleading people by saying that the Ranas were booked for reciting Hanuman Chalisa. “He is misleading people. He is a lawyer and needs to read the entire judgement of the Bombay High Court. We will also ask him to read the Hanuman Chalisa to remain calm but at his own house or at the temple. If you are trying to disturb peace by entering someone’s house in the name of reciting the Chalisa, then action will have to be taken,” Raut said.

‘Navneet received ₹80 lakh from Dawood accomplice’

Further intensifying the offensive against the Amravati MP, Raut alleged that Navneet received a loan of ₹80 lakh from Yusuf Lakdawala, who was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case and for his alleged links to the underworld.

The Sena leader tweeted an image of what seems to be a picture of Rana’s election affidavit, where the ₹80 lakh loan is shown from Lakdawala. The tweet, however, does not mention the date of the affidavit. Lakdawala died in September 2021 in Mumbai jail.

In the tweet, Raut asked if the ED, which had probed and put Lakdawala behind bars, probed this loan and tagged the prime minister’s official handle, leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai police commissioner Sanjay Pandey and BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.

State revenue minister and senior Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat said that the Rana couple are publicity hungry. “BJP wants to disturb peace. She (Navneet Rana) made baseless claims to get sympathy, but is smart enough to understand what is happening now,” he added.

(with inputs from Swapnil Rawal)