Probe role of ex-top cop in missing DVR: Congress to NIA

Mumbai, March 27 Adding a fresh dimension to the SUV-businessman death cases, the Maharashtra Congress on Saturday asked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe the role of ex-city top cop Param Bir Sing into the alleged disappearance of a DVR from the Mumbai Police Commissionerate.

State Congress Spokesperson Sachin Sawant said that when Singh was the Mumbai Commissioner of Police (CoP) the police headquarters' digital video recorder had gone missing.

"Surprisingly, its over 18 days but so far the NIA has not bothered to even record the statements of any senior officers of the prime accused, arrested API Sachin Vaze. Who are they trying to protect", Sawant said, addressing the media.

He pointed out how on March 10, the DVR of the CoP premises was officially collected by the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad, but a couple of hours later, the CoP's office felt it was a mistake to hand over the DVR to the probe agency.

Some from Singh's office called up the ATS Chief Jai Jeet Singh, asking for the DVR, claiming its quality was poor, it would be rechecked and given back to the ATS later, and this aspect will come out in the NIA probe, the Congress leader said.

The DVR was taken by an official who was sent from the CoP's office, but since then, the DVR has gone missing, and nobody is talking about it, he claimed.

"Why is the NIA still not going after this In this DVR, the movements of the SUV Scorpio, an Innova were clearly visible and also Sachin Vaze and others who were in contact with him. Its a crucial bit of evidence, but the NIA is doing nothing in the matter since nearly three weeks," Sawant said.

Slamming the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he said it has been consistently trying to 'divert' attention from the Antilia case, then the Thane businessman Mansukh Hiran death, later it was the CoP's letter to Home Minster Anil Deshmukh, followed by the illegal phone-tapping ordered by former State Intelligence Department Commissioner Rashmi Shukla.

"They keep changing the goal-posts to defame and destabilize the Maha Vikas Aghadi government Though Shukla had apologized for making the fake report on the cops' transfer racket and had not given a 6.3 GB pendrive to the state government, then from where Fadnavis get it (pendrive) and what did he hand over to the Union Home Secretary?" asked Sawant.

He said it is surprising that Fadnavis kept quiet for over seven months on his trusted officer Shukla's 'Top Secret' report and has brought it up only now to shift the focus from Param Bir Singh matter.

However, he said the truth will emerge from a thorough judicial probe, will reveal more names of those involved in the conspiracies, how the cases (SUV-Hiran) were abruptly taken away from the ATS and given to the NIA, etc.

Sawant's verbal missives came a day after it became apparent that the MVA has decided to launch an offensive against a section of powerful serving and retired bureaucrats, allegedly working in tandem with the Opposition to topple the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress government headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

( With inputs from IANS )