Shiv Sena repudiates Sachin Vaze's 'extortion' charge against MVA Minister Anil Parab

In a curious turn of events, Shiv Sena lashed out at suspended Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze over his 'extortion' charges against Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab. Addressing a press briefing on Wednesday, Parab refuted the allegations that he had asked Vaze to extract Rs 50 crore from the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust and Rs.2 crore each from 50 contractors listed in the BMC. Maintaining that this was an attempt to tarnish his and the state government's image, he hinted that BJP might have played a role in this matter.

This is seen as a veiled reference to Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil's comment that another MVA Minister will resign in 8 days' time. Moreover, Parab expressed willingness to face a probe by any agency. The Sena's attack on the suspended API comes nearly a month after Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray told the media, "Sachin Vaze is not Osama Bin Laden. It is not right to target a person and hang him and then investigate". While Vaze took the primary membership of Shiv Sena in 2008 during his suspension period, he was reinstated on June 6, 2020. 

Maharashtra Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anil Parab remarked, "These charges are a bid to tarnish my image. In the last two-day three days, BJP office-bearers were shouting that we will get a third scalp. This implies that this conspiracy was being hatched for the last two-three days."

"In his letter, Sachin Vaze has made one allegation against Anil Deshmukh, another against me and one against Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's close aide Ghodawat who allegedly tried to seek help in the Gutka matter. I have no connection with these two charges. I am not even aware of any inquiry pertaining to SBUT. I do not know any BMC contractor. I am ready for any probe," he added. 

Vaze levels more allegations

Earlier in the day, BJP shared a copy of a handwritten statement which Vaze's lawyer tried to submit in the Special NIA court. However, Additional Sessions Judge PR Sitre refused to take such a document on record and directed the suspended cop to give a statement under Section 164 of the CrPC. The statement has made a flurry of sensational allegations. For instance, Vaze allegedly accused ex-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh of asking him to pay Rs.2 crore so that he can convince NCP supremo Sharad Pawar against placing him under suspension once again.

Moreover, he claimed that Darshan Ghodawat, a self-espoused close aide of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar told him to collect Rs.100 crore from illegal gutka sellers or lose the CIU posting. The suspended API added that he refused to comply with Ghodawat's instruction to ask the illegal gutka manufacturers to either meet him or directly Ajit Pawar. Vaze also alleged that Anil Parab had insisted on him extorting Rs.50 crore from the trustees of the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust in July/August 2020 to close the inquiry against the latter.

Additionally, he recalled an incident from January 2021 where Parab allegedly instructed him to collect at least Rs.2 crore each from 50 "fraudulent" contractors listed with the BMC. Reiterating ex-Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh's charges against former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, Vaze claimed that he had refused to illegally collect any amount. According to the suspended API, he disclosed this to Singh and expressed an apprehension that he would be embroiled in a "false controversy". At present, Vaze is in NIA custody in connection with the Antilia bomb scare case and the Mansukh Hiren death case.