SUV bomb scare case: Mumbai CP Param Bir Singh transferred but Fadnavis has more questions

Hemant Nagrale, new police chief and IPS officer Param Bir Singh

The statement by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) boss and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government's architect Sharad Pawar, where he told reporters that the Chief Minister should be asked regarding the transfer of the city's top, is said to have sealed IPS officer Param Bir Singh's fate. Frenetic activities that took place before and after Pawar's observation, that the wrongdoers in the Sachin Waze case shouldn't go scot-free, indicated that a reshuffle in the police department was imminent.

Devendra Fadnavis, leader of the Opposition

On the political side, the tripartite coalition saw the NCP and the Congress distancing themselves from the controversy, putting the blame indirectly on the Shiv Sena. The NCP defended Home Minister Anil Deshmukh saying that all his statements were made based on the information he was given (by the police department). Obviously, Thackeray, too, was briefed by the police department, which ultimately was taken to task on Wednesday.

The Opposition has accused the chief minister of protecting Waze, a former Sena spokesperson.

In a series of meetings held on Tuesday, options for the post of Commissioner of Police were explored. A day before this, Pawar had met CM Uddhav Thackeray, apparently to discuss the same issue. It is also said that Pawar had suggested transferring Waze when the Opposition had threatened to stall the business on the last day of the Budget Session. The suggestion was acted upon and the budget was passed.

Singh's replacement was found in the state's Director General of Police (in-charge) Hemant Nagrale. Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) chief Rajnish Seth was given the additional charge of the DGP. Nagrale had been holding the additional charge of the DGP, after Subodh Jaiswal chose to leave the state for a Central deputation.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray during an address at the opening of five cyber police stations in Mumbai in January. File pic

The NCP and Congress had been speaking in the same tone since more evidence came out against Waze. The Opposition has been unrelenting, with ex-CM Devendra Fadanvis digging out new information.

The ruling parties did defy Fadnavis' charges, but they lacked teeth. Apparently, removing Singh after Waze's arrest and subsequent suspension became a political necessity. The transfer would help the government save face. The resignation of a Sena minister on the eve of the Budget session had saved it some blushes, but the Waze case created problems that gave rise to speculations of a split in the MVA, with the Sena being pushed to the wall.

Even as Pawar said that controversy like this won't affect the government, the issue kept intensifying with new revelations every day. It was pertinent for Thackeray to act, which he did on Wednesday.

It is learnt that Singh didn't expect the government to transfer him immediately, but wished he would go out after the controversy dies down or during an annual routine reshuffle. However, sources said the government strongly felt that the NIA (National Investigation Agency) has been preparing to question Singh, and that event would have proved to be a disaster.

Sena speaks
Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said the action was taken because of the doubts raised against the officers.

"The CM thought of transferring the officer because of the kind of atmosphere the media and Opposition have created. It's the government's moral duty to act in such a manner," he said, adding that Singh's transferasn't a routine matter.

He said the Opposition may continue to create similar situations in the next three and a half years. "No harm will happen to the MVA government," he said.