Rs 100 Crores Hafta: Maharashtra CMO Orders Enquiry Into Unsigned Letter By Param Bir Singh Against Home Minister Anil Deshmukh
Mubarak Ansari
Mumbai, 20th March 2021: Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) has issued an official statement on an email received reportedly from former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh which alleged that he was asked for ‘Hafta’ of Rs 100 crore per month from restaurant bars and hotels.
Maharashtra’s Chief Minister’s Office stated, “Param Bir Singh’s letter was received at 4:37 pm today. This letter was sent through a different email address. This is not his official address. Also, his signature is not there in the letter. This new email address has to be checked. The home ministry is trying to contact them.”
‘Deshmukh wants to recover 100 crores Hafta every month’
The email has created a storm in Maharashtra’s politics. Param Bir Singh, who was recently removed from the post of chief of the Mumbai Police, allegedly stated in the letter that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh wants police officers to recover at least Rs 100 crore ‘Hafta’ from bars and hotels every month. He also said that Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze had the patronage of Deshmukh.
‘I was made a scapegoat’
In a letter written to Uddhav Thackeray, Param Bir Singh said, “I want to tell you that Maharashtra Government Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has called Sachin Vaze to his official bungalow several times and ordered extortion. He asked for this money to be deposited in the name of the Chief Minister of Maharashtra. During this time, his personal secretary Mr Palande was also present there.”
The email further states, “I had also told NCP chief Sharad Pawar about this matter. Whatever has happened or gone wrong with me, I have also given information to Sharad Pawar.
“I was asked to extort from Vaze”
The letter states, “The Home Minister had told Sachin Vaze that 100 crores can be easily achieved by recovering Rs 2 to 2.5 lakhs from 1750 Bar Restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai. Vaze came to me the same day and made this shocking disclosure. A few days later, Home Minister Deshmukh also called ACP (Social Service Branch) Sanjay Patil to his house and talked about the hookah parlours. Mr. Palande, who is Anil Deshmukh’s personal secretary, had asked Sanjay Patil to deposit Rs 40–50 crore. ACP Patil also informed me about this. Following the instructions given by Deshmukh, Vaze and Patil had a conversatioMrmong themselves and both brought this matter to me. Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has been continuously involved in such cases and he has called my officials many times to get them done. They have done things without my knowledge.”
Param Bir Singh is making false allegations: Anil Deshmukh
Home Minister of Maharashtra Government Anil Deshmukh has termed the allegations of former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh as false.
“Param Bir Singh is making false accusations to avoid action. He is making false allegations in the case to protect himself from legal proceedings in Vaze’s case. Vaze involvement in the Mansukh Haren case is also becoming evident and the investigation may also reach Param Bir Singh. Because of this fear, he is wrongly accusing me”, Deshmukh said.
