Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has been accused of corruption and harassment by a police officer. According to reports, Police Inspector Bhimrao Ghadge filed a first information report (FIR) against Singh and claimed that the former Commissioner harassed him in the same case.
The police officer filed the FIR in Akola district, and 32 others have been named in the case, including Economic Offences Wing DCP Parag Manere. Reportedly, 27 sections ranging from criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities Act), 1989, have been invoked against the accused.
Reportedly, the Akola Police filed a Zero FIR and transferred it to the Thane City police. The FIR against Singh comes days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR against former Maharashtra Home Anil Deshmukh.
According to reports, inspector Ghagde has alleged that when Singh was the Thane police chief, he had asked Ghagde to not chargesheet those having FIRs. Ghadge also alleged that he was suspended from the force, and five FIRs were filed against him for disobeying Singh’s instructions. He also claimed that several officers indulged in corrupt acts under Singh during his tenure in Thane between 2015 and 2018.
Earlier, the CBI filed an FIR against Deshmukh based on the corruption allegations by Singh. According to reports, the CBI conducted raids at four locations, including Deshmukh’s homes in Nagpur and Mumbai on April 24.
The central agency has already completed its preliminary enquiry into the corruption allegation against Deshmukh.
On March 20, in an unsigned letter, Singh accused Home Minister Deshmukh of corruption. In the letter addressing Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Singh alleged that Deshmukh had asked encounter specialist Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore every month from various establishments including bars, restaurants and others.
Immediately after the incident, Deshmukh refuted the claims and said that Singh was making false allegations to save himself from legal action following the Ambani bomb scare case.
On March 25, the former Mumbai Police Commissioner filed public interest litigation (PIL) seeking a CBI probe against Deshmukh. Singh initially approached the Supreme Court, alleging he was transferred after he sent a written complaint to Thackeray and other senior leaders about the Deshmukh “corrupt malpractices”.
The Supreme Court asked Singh to approach the Bombay High Court first despite pointing out that the allegations are serious. Singh then filed a PIL with the Bombay HC against Deshmukh. The High Court had handed the investigation to the CBI earlier this month.
Hours after the HC handed the case to the CBI, Deshmukh tendered his resignation as the Maharashtra Home Minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on "moral grounds".
