Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh on Monday (August 12) claimed that then-Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had informed him “two to three times” that money collected through extortion and other illegal means went to state NCP president Jayant Patil who managed the party’s funds. He alleged that Deshmukh, who was at the office between 2019 and 2021, had set a target of collection of Rs 100 crore from the metropolis for his officers as he also detailed plans to target key Opposition leaders, including BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, during the tenure of previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
Anil Deshmukh's son Salil hit back at Singh, saying the former Mumbai top cop was reading from the script prepared by the ruling BJP and Deputy CM Fadnavis, who handles the home portfolio. "Param Bir Singh where were you all these days...Param Bir Singh you keep reading the script given to you by the BJP and Devendra Fadnavis. It will not matter because you will be arrested by the NIA no matter how much you please the BJP," Salil Deshmukh, an NCP (SP) leader, said.
What did Param Bir claim?
Singh claimed that Deshmukh, who is now in the NCP faction led by Sharad Pawar, gave a target of collecting Rs 100 crore as extortion money from hotels and restaurants.
"The Rs 100 crore collection target was for Mumbai city for which my officers were pressured. The target for the rest of the state was different," Singh claimed, adding people involved in illegal activities, including the banned gutkha business, were also called for discussions on money collection.
"Those who called were people in contact with Deshmukh and his son (Salil). There must be a big target, I don't want to speculate, the money coming from illicit activities was different too," the controversial former IPS officer claimed.
He further alleged that the former home minister’s son Salil was actively involved in the money collection racket.
"He (Salil Deshmukh) used to call officers and collect money for their postings and there used to be negotiations at a hotel in western suburbs," Singh claimed, adding an alleged extortion racket was being operated from there.
"Anil Deshmukh himself had told me two to three times that the collected money went to Jayant Patil who looked after the party funds," Singh alleged.
Patil was the water resources minister in the MVA government and was also the Maharashtra unit chief of the undivided NCP. After the NCP split in 2023, Patil, like Anil Deshmukh, stayed with Sharad Pawar and continues to be the NCP (SP) state president.
MVA wanted to target Opposition leaders: Param Bir Singh
The former Mumbai Police Commissioner alleged that when he held the post (February 2020-March 2021), Anil Deshmukh and other leaders of the ruling MVA wanted to target some Opposition leaders.
Regular meetings in this regard were held at the official bungalow of Anil Deshmukh, where ex-MLA Anil Gote, public prosecutor Pravin Chavan and he himself were present, he claimed.
“At one such meeting, Gote and Chavan brought with them three to four complainants and they wanted cases to be registered against BJP MLA Jaykumar Rawal and former minister Girish Mahajan,” Singh alleged.
"I went through the complaints and said no cases can be made out and I refused (to take the matter forward)," he claimed.
Another meeting was held at 'Silver Oak', the south Mumbai home of Sharad Pawar, where apart from the senior Pawar, Anil Deshmukh, Gote, Pravin Chavan were present, he claimed. "Again the same discussion took place and pressure was brought, (but) I clearly said no cases were made out (against the two BJP leaders)," Singh stated.
"A (separate) meeting was held at then-CM Uddhav Thackeray's bungalow to register a case against (BJP leader) Pravin Darekar. Anil Deshmukh was also present. They wanted me to arrest him (Darekar) in the Mumbai District Central Co-operative Bank case (related to alleged irregularities)," Singh claimed.
"I said the case (against Darekar, an office-bearer of the bank) has already been closed...no case was made out. This was the kind of pressure that was brought on me during my tenure," he claimed.
Singh alleged there were also plans to implicate the then-Leader of Opposition Fadnavis and Urban Development Minister and current Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in a land ceiling case. "At that time, an old case of urban land ceiling (ULC) was reopened for investigation at Thane," Singh claimed.
"The case was registered during my tenure in 2016 (as Thane police chief). Then-DGP Sanjay Pandey was getting direct instructions from Anil Deshmukh, Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray to implicate Fadnavis and Shinde in that case," he alleged.
Have evidence of claims: Singh
He claimed that he has electronic evidence of his claims and will put them out in the public domain when the “appropriate time” comes. "I have electronic and video evidence of whatever I am saying and at an appropriate time I will put them in public domain," the former IPS officer claimed.
Anil Deshmukh’s son reacts
Salil Deshmukh said Singh's allegations were baseless.
"Eknath Shinde was a big leader. How can the government implicate its own minister? After Fadnavis, he (Singh) is trying to please Eknath Shinde," Salil Deshmukh said.
"What Singh says does not matter as he is facing many cases and all his sins cannot remain hidden for long," Salil Deshmukh asserted.
Speaking in Pune, NCP (SP) president Pawar termed Singh's allegations against Anil Deshmukh as "irresponsible".
"As his (Singh) conduct was inappropriate, action was initiated against him," Pawar said.
(With PTI inputs)
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