MUMBAI: A day after the National Investigating Agency arrested former encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma for his alleged role in the case involving planting of explosives outside the residence of industrialist
Mukesh Ambani and the murder of Thane trader Mansukh Hiran,
NCP leader and rural development minister Hasan Mushriff said the needle of suspicion points to controversial former Mumbai police chief
Param Bir Singh
.
“The entire
IPS
circle knows that both Sachin Waze and Pradeep Sharma are trusted men of Param Bir Singh. They can’t plant explosives outside the residence of Ambani unless they have the backing of a high-ranking official. In fact, Param Bir Singh was instrumental in the reinstatement of Waze, that too on a prime post. The then joint commissioner had opposed his posting in the crime branch. The people of
Maharashtra expect the NIA to catch the mastermind as early as possible,” Mushriff said at a presser in his hometown Kolhapur.
Mushriff confirmed to TOI the statement he made in Kolhapur. “I have reasons to believe the needle of suspicion points to Param Bir Singh. Since he wrote a letter to CM Uddhav Thackeray, following which the then home minister Anil Deshmukh had to go, we feel he has the backing of the BJP. That is why law-enforcing agencies are not taking action against him. We feel it is high time NIA steps in and takes the probe to its logical conclusion,” Mushriff said.
Mushriff, who has consistently taken a stand against the Central agencies, said the NIA probe was slow. “NIA arrested Sachin Waze more than two months ago, and now it has arrested Sharma. It should make all-out efforts to book the mastermind,” he said.
TOI sent a detailed message to Param Bir Singh on the statement made by Hasan Mushriff, but there was no response till the time of going to press.
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