Mumbai: Two days after Param Bir Singh was shunted out from the post of Mumbai police commissioner, the Shiv Sena defended him Friday. The Shiv Sena said his transfer does not make him a criminal. The party alleged that a ‘particular lobby in Delhi’ was upset with Singh as the TRP scam came to light during his tenure.
The Shiv Sena also questioned the move of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) taking over the probe into the explosives-laden SUV found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house last month. It said that the NIA generally investigates terrorism-related cases. However, there was no terror angle involved in this episode.
The Maharashtra government Wednesday transferred Singh. He was under fire over handling of the Ambani-SUV case. It appointed senior IPS officer Hemant Nagrale in his place.
“A vehicle containing 20 gelatin sticks was found on Mumbai’s Carmichael Road. It has triggered blasts in Maharashtra politics and administration in the last few days. Param Bir Singh was removed as Mumbai police commissioner. Senior officer Hemant Nagrale was appointed in his place. These are not routine transfers,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
Also read: NIA takes over case of vehicle laden with explosives found near Mukesh Ambani’s home
“The explosives-laden SUV found near Ambani’s house and the suspicious death of Mansukh Hiran, who was in possession of the vehicle, are worrisome. The opposition BJP has raised some questions over it, but while the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) was probing the Hiran death case, the NIA took over the investigation. Hope its motive is not to malign the state government,” the editorial further stated.
“The NIA generally probes terrorism-related cases. But there is no terror angle involved in this case and still it stepped in. However, the outcome of the agency’s probe into the terror attacks of Uri, Pathankot and Pulwama is still a mystery. The 20 gelatin sticks found in Mumbai appears to be a big challenge for the NIA,” the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.
It said that Singh had taken over as Mumbai police chief during the difficult time of coronavirus pandemic. He boosted the morale of the police force. “During his tenure, the television rating points (TRP) scam came to light. A particular lobby in Delhi was upset with him over that,” the editorial said. “Now, Singh has been transferred, but it does not make him a criminal,” it added.
It editorial accused the opposition of politicising the death of Hiran and lowering the morale of the state police. “At least considering the prevailing situation, no one should commit such a sin. If the opposition feels it can gain power through such means, it is wrong,” the Sena said.