Param Bir Singh reaches Mumbai, to join investigation

Param Bir has not reported to work since May, after his transfer from the post of Mumbai Police Commissioner

Param Bir Singh in October 2020. Credit: PTI Photo

After lying low for over six months, controversial and high-profile police officer Param Bir Singh surfaced in Mumbai on Thursday.

“I will join the investigation as directed by the court,” Singh told reporters soon after he landed at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

He left straight to Unit-11 of the Crime Branch-CID of Mumbai Police at Kandivli.

Singh, an officer of the 1988-batch of the IPS, is the Commandant General of Home Guards.

After he was shunted out as Mumbai Police Commissioner, Singh had alleged that the then Home Minister and senior NCP leader Anil Deshmukh had fixed a target of Rs 100 crore per month for now dismissed Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze.

Also read: Param Bir surfaced after being declared absconder by court: NCP's Nawab Malik

After the incident, the Maharashtra government constituted a Commission of Inquiry by Justice (Retd) Kailash Uttamchand Chandiwal to probe Singh's allegations against Deshmukh, however, the police officer has not appeared before it. In a submission through an affidavit recently, Singh has stated that he does not have any more information to share and it was based on hearsay.

Singh is facing as many as five separate cases of extortion and corruption - while one is being investigated by Mumbai Crime Branch, the rest are being probed by State-Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He is facing FIRs and NBWs.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is recuperating and undergoing physiotherapy after a surgery, presided over the Cabinet meeting virtually from the hospital, however, it is not known whether the Param Bir Singh issue was discussed.

Meanwhile, state Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil met Director General of Police Sanjay Pandey, Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale and Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni.

On the claims of threat to life, Walse-Patil said: “If he tells us, from whom he has a threat to his life, then we'll look into it….Param Bir Singh in a statement to Supreme Court said that he has a threat to his life. Shocked to know that the man who served as Police Commissioner of Mumbai and Thane, held important posts feels a threat to his life.”

A few days ago, the Supreme Court asked him to join investigations and gave him interim protection.

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