Mumbai: Former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede from SC Mahar caste, not Muslim, rules panel

MUMBAI: A three-member district caste verification committee has given a clean chit to former Narcotics Control Bureau zonal director Sameer Wankhede, saying it has been established that he and his father Dnyandev belong to the Mahar caste, which is a Scheduled Caste, and he is not a Muslim by birth.
The order is being seen as a major setback for former NCP minister Nawab Malik, who had alleged that Wankhede was a Muslim and had submitted a fake SC certificate in order to secure a job in the central government.
Wankhede took to Twitter soon after the order was released on Saturday, saying "Satyamev Jayate". "All the complaints have been scrapped, all the factual documents that we had submitted are valid," he stated.
Malik had made the allegations after the NCB raid of October 2021 on a cruise ship which led to the arrest of Aryan Khan, son of actor Shah Rukh Khan, along with 19 others.
Not proven that Wankhede, dad converted: Panel
Ex-minister Nawab Malik, Swabhimani Republican Party leader Manoj Sandare and Bhim Army's Ashok Kamble submitted a formal complaint on November 11, 2021, against the caste certificate of former NCB zonal chief Sameer Wankhede.
After an inquiry, a district-level caste verification committee comprising Anita Meshram-Wankhede (chairperson), Salima Tadvi (member) and Sunita Mate (member secretary) said in its 91-page reasoned order Wankhede indeed belonged to the Mahar caste and that it was not proven he and his father Dnyandev had renounced Hinduism and duly converted to Islam.
"It has been clearly established that Wankhede and his father belong to the Scheduled Caste, Mahar-37 as per the schedule. Complaints filed by Malik, Sansare and Kamble regarding the caste claim of Wankhede and his religion, are not substantiated. As a result, the complaints are rejected due to lack of facts," Anita Meshram-Wankhede said in her order.
Ever since Malik's son-in-law was arrested by NCB, the NCP leader had stepped up his drive against the then NCB zonal director. When Wankhede raided the ship in October 2021, Malik alleged the raid was fake. For Wankhede the setback came when Aryan Khan was later released on bail and the court made critical observations against NCB.
When the committee began probe, Wankhede had challenged proceedings before HC, but the committee continued probe on the grounds that the court had not restrained it. After taking cognizance of all documents and statements made by the complainants and Wankhede before Prashant Marde, deputy superintendent of police (vigilance) of the committee, the panel arrived at its conclusion.