Mumbai: Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has alleged that there were instructions to arrest him in the Urban Land Ceiling case and claimed that a senior police official was getting instructions from the then Chief Minister Udhhav Thackeray and then NCP leaders Sharad Pawar and Anil Deshmukh. He alleged there was an attempt to implicate BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, who is now Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Eknath Shinde, who is now state Chief Minister.
In an interview with ANI, Param Bir Singh rejected allegations levelled against him by Anil Dehmukh, a former Maharashtra Home Minister and a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Chandra Pawar), as baseless and said he is willing for narco test "together" with the former Maharashtra Home Minister.
"Very shocking things have come to my notice that not only false cases were registered against me and they had tried to arrest me but in a particular case - 'Urban Land Ceiling' (ULC) case, in that case, the IO (investigating officer) was Sardar Patil, the then ACP, now retired. He was directly getting instructions from Sanjay Pandey who was getting instructions from Anil Deshmukh, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray," Param Bir Singh said.
"Instructions were there not only to implicate and arrest me in that case but to implicate Devendra Fadnavis, the then leader of the opposition, the present deputy chief minister. Another very shocking thing that has come to my notice from the evidence which is available with me now is the instructions were there to implicate and arrest Eknath Shinde in that ULC case. The instructions have gone directly from Sanjay Pandey to Sardar Patil at the instance of his superior whom I have already named," he added.
Singh alleged that pressure was mounted on him to register a case against BJP leader Pravin Darekar in Mumbai Bank case but he refused as the case had been closed after investigation.
He alleged pressure from some leaders of Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government leaders in some other cases also.
"...Another meeting was called by Shri Uddhav Thackeray where Anil Deshmukh was also present and they had tried to pressurise me to book Pravarin Darekar, then LoP in Vidhan Parishad. They wanted to book him Mumbai Bank case. I said that the case has been investigated and closed and I will not take action under pressure and nor register false case against a politician or anybody."
Singh said that the complaint made by him against Deshmukh of alleged corruption was "not politically motivated" and not made on behest of anyone.
Param Bir Singh said the statement that Deshmukh is referring to is from April 2021 when he had made "a complaint in writing, to the then CM Uddhav Thackeray and other dignitaries like Sharad Pawar and the Governor bringing out the malpractice of Anil Deshmukh as a Home Minister in the state where he was indulging an extortion racket and forcing officers to collect money for him and the target was Rs 100 crore of Mumbai city itself and the target for the rest of the state was probably much more"
"This allegation or this complaint was made by me not now it was made more than three years ago when the then government, the then CM had not responded to my complaint which earlier I had brought to their notice in person when they had not taken any cognisance so I had brought it and written to them about this. But again when no action was being taken instead, they started targeting me...The CBI conducted a preliminary inquiry, and when they had enough evidence it was converted to FIR. Anil Deshmukh was arrested in the case. He was charge-sheeted by CBI and ED was inside for a long time. Now he's out and suddenly out of the blue after three years he is making these baseless and wild allegations against me. I don't understand what is the reason suddenly," he added.
Param Bir Singh said he has stayed away from the media after approaching the court and has made his submissions there.
He said he had come out in the open due to Deshmukh's allegatgions against him.
Deshmukh alleged on Sunday that the corruption charges against him were made by dismissed police inspector Sachin Waze and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Singh three years ago, claiming it was done on the instruction of Devendra Fadnavis, now Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister.
Anil Deshmukh had claimed earlier this month that Fadnavis had told Param Bir Singh to make allegations against him in a bid to topple the government led by Uddhav Thackeray.
Anil Deshmukh resigned in April 2021 following Param Bir Singh's allegations of corruption against him when MVA government was in power in the state. Param Bir Singh had accused Deshmukh of setting a monthly target to collect Rs 100 crore from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.
The former Mumbai Police Commissioner said that he was ready for a narco test and also challenged Deshmukh to also go for the test.
The Maharashtra government, led by Eknath Shinde, had in May last year dropped all charges and revoked the suspension of former Police Commissioner of Mumbai, Param Bir Singh.
Singh was suspended in December 2021 when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was in office. He retired in June 2022.
—ANI