NAGPUR: State home minister Anil Deshmukh said on Sunday that inquiry by a retired high court judge into the allegations by former Mumbai commissioner of police Param Bir Singh would bring out the truth.
Talking to reporters at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar international airport, the home minister, who arrived in the city to review Covid situation, said he had requested chief minister Uddhav Thackeray during a recently held cabinet meeting to probe accusations by Singh, after he was shunted as director general, home guards.
Deshmukh had also written a letter to the CM around a week ago requesting him for a probe to ensure ‘Doodh ka Doodh, paani ka paani’ (separate the truth from lie) into the allegations by Singh. Deshmukh had also stated that he soon would file a defamation case against the Param Bir Singh.
“Following my request, the CM has ordered inquiry to be conducted by a retired judge of high court,” said the home minister.
Singh had accused Deshmukh of pressuring police officers to collect Rs100 crore for him from bars and such places in Mumbai. Singh had also claimed that the home minister had interfered and insisted on Mumbai police registering a case after BJP MP from Dadra and Nagar Haveli Mohan Delkar was found dead in the metropolis.
Interestingly, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar had trashed the charges against Deshmukh saying he was in home quarantine during the period when Singh had claimed the home minister had met police officers to demand money.
Singh had subsequently filed a case before the Supreme Court requesting for a probe against Deshmukh, but the apex court had directed him to approach the high court.
The home minister too had protested against the allegations by Singh asking why the senior officer vented his ire only after being removed as Mumbai CP. Deshmukh had also dubbed all charges against him as malicious.
Deshmukh had stated that he was hospitalized between February 5 and 15 after testing Covid positive and later was in home quarantine till February 27 and stepped out for the first time for work on the following day.