Devendra Fadnavis Rushes To Delhi Over Report On Police Transfers

Mumbai:

Former Maharashtra Chief Minster, the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, is taking his battle with the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government to Delhi. Mr Fadnavis, currently the state’s Leader of Opposition, says there were malpractices in police transfers in the state.

“I will be going to meet the Home Secretary in Delhi this evening to demand a probe by a central agency into these serious allegations mentioned in the report,” Mr Fadnavis told reporters this morning.

He was referring to a report by the former intelligence chief of the state, which alleged that there were malpractices in top police transfers.

“An intelligence report dated August 25, 2020, was submitted to then DGP and in turn the DGP very next day forwarded to ACS home for appropriate further actions. I have 6.3 GB data and all these transcripts which were given to the Chief Minister. But this MVA government did not take any action on these severe and sensitive allegations. Instead they transferred the intelligence Commissioner,” he said.

Mr Fadnavis went on to add, “All officials mentioned in these transcripts got same postings. I am going to Delhi to meet Union Home Secretary for this today.”

NCP’s Nawab Malik hit back, quoting from the same report. The postings mentioned in IPS officer Rashmi Shukla’s report were not what happened and that false claims were made in the report based on illegal phone tapping, he said.

Nawab Malik told NDTV, “He claimed the entire list has been transferred and money transactions have been there. The list which is mentioned in the report, of that, 80 per cent of transfers haven’t happened. As far as transfers are concerned, there is a Police Establishment Board headed by ACS (Home) and DGP. All recommendations of transfers are made by this board. The entire issue has been orchestrated to create a sensation in Maharashtra and the entire country.”

Mr Fadnavis, he said, wants to go to the Home Secretary in Delhi because he “wants to defame the government”.

There is no truth in the matter, he said. Eighty per cent of transfers mentioned in the list submitted by Rashmi Shukla did not happen.

“She was tapping phones illegally and no permission was given. Earlier also, during government formation in Maharashtra, phones of leaders were tapped by her. This is why she was given a side posting and then she went to Delhi on central deputation,” Mr Malik added.

Nawab Malik also hit out at Devendra Fadnavis for claiming that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had recommended Sachin Waze’s reinstatement when he was Chief Minister but he had decided against it after seeking legal opinion on the matter.

“He said at that time he had sought legal opinion from the Advocate General. Till today, there is no document supporting the claim of Mr Fadnavis. There is no record of this. He has been misleading people and making false statements,” he said.