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Param Bir Singh untraceable, Maharashtra minister says agencies trying to find whereabouts
Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse-Patil said it was not appropriate if Singh has fled the country
Mumbai: Maharashtra home minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Thursday said that investigating agencies were looking for former Mumbai Police commissioner Param Bir Singh, who has been incommunicado for the past two months, amid reports of his leaving the country in a section of the media, adding the state government was in touch with the Centre on the issue.
“Any civil service officer needs the approval of the central government (for leaving the country). The Union home ministry is also searching for his whereabouts. We have no clue about his whereabouts and we too are searching him,” he said.
The minister said it was not appropriate if Singh has fled the country. “There will be action taken against him. It could be under various provisions of the law. It could be a disciplinary action for remaining absent from the duty without informing the authorities. The action is not important, his appearance before the agencies is important. The action against him by the state government is not out of any vendetta but it is a routine procedure which will be followed,” Walse-Patil said in Mumbai.
Singh was removed as Mumbai top cop on March 17, following the Antilia explosives scare and subsequent murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran. He was shifted to the Maharashtra home guards on March 22.
On April 7, Singh appeared before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for recording his statement in connection with the two cases. Later, he was summoned by the federal agency, but he did not respond to the summons.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole questioned whether the Centre had helped Singh to flee the country. “Had he been detained by the central agencies investigating Antilia explosive scare case, significant information could have been extracted from him. The investigating agencies have raised doubts about his whereabouts but the question remains unanswered if the Centre facilitated him to go out of the country,” he said.
Singh last attended his office on May 4 and went on leave from May 5, on account of health issues.
It is believed that Singh had gone to his hometown in Chandigarh. In between, he had communicated with the Maharashtra government, requesting for extension of his leave due to health issues. He also claimed that he had undergone a surgery. In mid-August, he again requested extension for leave over health grounds. But, thereafter, no request has come from him, said a police officer requesting anonymity.
An inquiry commission headed by retired Bombay high court judge, justice (retired) Kailas Uttamchand Chandiwal in early September issued a bailable warrant against Singh for not appearing before it.
A team of the state crime investigation department (CID) that went to three of his (Singh’s) known residences in Chandigarh and Mumbai did not find him there and could not serve the warrant. As he failed to appear before the commission, it re-issued the bailable warrant against him on September 21.
The next hearing of the commission is scheduled on October 6.
The commission earlier had imposed a fine of ₹50,000 on Singh twice for not appearing before the commission.
People aware of the matter said that NIA too has issued summons to him to join the investigation, but he failed to appear before them as well.
Three days after his removal as commissioner, Singh on March 20 wrote an explosive letter to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, accusing state’s former home minister Anil Deshmukh of instructing controversial crime branch officer API Sachin Vaze and some other Mumbai Police officers to extort monthly ₹100 crore from bars, pubs, hookah parlours and such other establishments in Mumbai.
Singh also approached courts with his complaint, following which the Bombay high court ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation to conduct a preliminary enquiry into the matter.
