Mumbai Police have 4 weeks to submit report on Mustafa Dossa's 'date night'

Mustafa Dossa and Deven Bharti

After being informed of mid-day's expose on how cops allowed 1993 blast accused Mustafa Dossa to enjoy a date night with his wife during the train journey to Porbandar, the Special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) court yesterday ordered the Mumbai Police to immediately initiate an inquiry into the lapse and submit a report in four weeks.

Also read: Red faced Mumbai Police order probe into Mustafa Dossa's romantic train ride

mid-day broke the story on January 2 with the front-page report ‘Dossa and his midnight tryst shames the police'. Dossa and his wife, Shabina Khatri, had spent the night together in the sleeper coach, while the eight policemen in his escort detail went out and stood guard at the end of the coach, leaving him totally unattended.

Special Public Prosecutor Deepak Salvi showed the report to Judge GA Sanap, who then ordered a probe. Salvi told this reporter, "The court, in its order, directed Joint CP of Law and Order, Deven Bharti, to conduct an inquiry or appoint someone to conduct the inquiry."

Also read: How Mumbai police have turned 1993 bomb blasts trial into a joke

Hours after this paper's report was published on Monday, the top brass of the police had already asked asked for an explanation from the police team escorting Dossa on the train ride to Porbandar, where he was to attend a court hearing in the blasts case. Following the story, CM Devendra Fadnavis, who also heads the Home department, said he had sought more information in the matter.