The MNS leader whipped out a passport claiming it belonged to a Bangladeshi and threw it; crucial document that could have helped investigations is now nowhere to be found
Defying the police, MNS chief Raj Thackeray addressed his thousands of supporters at Azad Maidan yesterday. Speaking in his aggressive style, Thackeray whipped out a green coloured passport during his speech.
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Claiming it belonged to a Bangladeshi national, Thackeray said that the passport was found at Azad Maidan after the August 11 riots. However, what is police evidence is now nowhere to be found after the leader threw the passport on the ground leading to an important clue to be lost in a sea of followers.
Holding Bangladeshi immigrants responsible for the violence, Raj whipped out the document and said, “This passport was found at Azad Maidan after the August 11 riots and belongs to a Bangladeshi. It has only one stamp for this country and after that the passport is blank. This is because they come to stay here and never leave.”
Immediately, after uttering the words, a disgusted Thackeray threw the document at the crowd after which it has not been found.
When MiD DAY contacted the MNS to enquire about the party having crucial evidence and the authenticity of the passport, Mangesh Sangle, a MLA, said, “I was given the passport by one of our workers today and then handed it over to Rajsaheb. The strange thing about the document was that there was a single entry in the document and the visa and passport had expired in 2011.”
However, when asked about the whereabouts of the document, Sangle was clueless. “After Rajsaheb threw the document, I have no idea where it is. But, we will see to it that the document is handed over to the police.”
According to a MNS party worker, the passport was registered to a Mohammed Makkadas Ali and was issued in April 2010 with the number being C1708002. Additionally, the visa was issued in September 2011.
In the wrong hands
When asked what Thackeray should have done with the passport, Former IPS officer and Advocate Y P Singh said that instead of throwing it to the ground, he should have handed it over to the police.
“This particular passport is crucial for investigations, as it would help in finding the people involved in the riots. The passport is a part of evidence. He should have given it to the police so that further investigations could have been carried out.”
DCP Nisar Tamboli, the spokesperson for the Mumbai police, said, “How can the Mumbai police comment on a document that was not shown to us? One should ask the person who showed that document (passport). We didn’t find any such document at Azad Maidan that day.”u00a0