Mumbai: The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government Wednesday shunted Param Bir Singh out from the post of the Mumbai Commissioner of Police (CP).
This comes days after Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze — who is allegedly involved in planting of an explosives-laden car outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s house — was arrested.
While multiple sources from the ruling parties said Singh’s transfer was mainly an attempt to contain the damage caused to the government by the Waze controversy, the state government did not assign any reason for the move.
IPS officer Hemant Nagrale was appointed to the post of Mumbai CP. Nagrale was in January appointed as the Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP).
Singh will take charge of Home Guards. He was appointed as the Mumbai CP in March last year.
State Home Minister Anil Deshmukh announced the government’s decision, without giving any reason for Singh’s transfer.
“A major decision of the government. Shri Hemant Nagrale will be the new Mumbai CP. Shri Rajneesh Sheth will hold the additional post of Maharashtra DGP. Shri Sanjay Pande will handle the responsibility of the Maharashtra State Security Corporation. Param Bir Singh will be given the responsibility of Home Guards.”
सरकारचा मोठा निर्णय
श्री हेमंत नगराळे होणार नवे मुंबई पोलीस आयुक्त
श्री रजनीश शेठ यांच्या कडे पोलीस महासंचालक महाराष्ट्र राज्य या पदाचा अतिरिक्त कार्यभार
श्री संजय पांडे यांच्या कडे महाराष्ट्र राज्य सुरक्षा महामंडळाची जवाबदारी
श्री परमवीर सिंह यांच्या कडे गृह रक्षक दलाची जवाबदारी— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) March 17, 2021
The NIA arrested Waze late Saturday after over 10 hours of questioning. Waze has been remanded in NIA custody till 25 March. Waze is also part of a probe by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad into the death of businessman Mansukh Hiren, who owned the Mahindra Scorpio that was found outside Ambani’s south Mumbai residence, Antilia.
Hiren was found dead in a creek in the Thane district on 5 March.
Also read: Param Bir Singh — ‘encounter specialist’ IPS officer & Mumbai top cop caught in Sena-NCP tiff
Transfer comes a day after CM met Nagrale, Singh
Since Monday, there had been a flurry of meetings between leaders of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, comprising the Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, over how to contain the damage caused by the controversy involving Waze and how to fix responsibility.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray held meetings with NCP president Sharad Pawar, a group of senior ministers as well as Congress state president Nana Patole.
Across these meetings, there were talks of replacing either NCP’s Deshmukh as home minister or Singh as the Mumbai CP, though there was no concrete decision, sources from across the three parties said.
Singh’s transfer comes a day after Thackeray met him and Nagrale at the CM’s official residence, Varsha, late Tuesday night.
Waze has the background of having been a Mumbai Police sharpshooter, who was first suspended from the force in 2004 and is facing trial under charges of murder and destruction of evidence in the Khwaja Yunus custodial death case.
Waze, who is known to be close to the Shiv Sena — having briefly joined the party in 2008 — was reinstated last year by a committee headed by Singh.
Singh, a 1988-batch IPS officer, posted Waze at the Crime Branch where he was involved in high-profile cases, including the alleged fudging of Television Rating Points involving the Arnab Goswami-led Republic TV.
(Edited by Debalina Dey)
Also read: Original number plate of SUV near Ambani home found hidden inside ‘Sachin Waze’s Mercedes’