Antilia bomb scare: Hiran's wife suspects Sachin Vaze's role in his death, seeks probe
Devendra Fadnavis seeks police officer's arrest in Hiran death case
Mumbai, Mar 9: Vimla Hiran, wife of auto parts dealer Mansukh Hiran who died mysteriously last week, has alleged in her statement to the ATS that Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Vaze known as an 'encounter specialist' might have killed her husband.
On Tuesday, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis also cited her statement in the Maharashtra Assembly and demanded that Vaze be arrested.
The police officer did not offer comment immediately on the allegations.
After a Scorpio with explosives was found near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in south Mumbai on February 25, Hiran, a Thane resident, had claimed it had been stolen from his possession a week earlier. Hiran himself was found dead in Thane creek on March 5.
Vimla Hiran recorded her statement before the state Anti-Terrorism Squad, which is probing the case, on March 7.
According to the statement, the Scorpio, owned by Dr Peter Newton, was in the possession of the Hiran family for the past three years with Dr Newton's consent.
Her husband knew API Vaze who was a regular client of Mansukh's car decor business, she said.
In November 2020, he had given the Scorpio to Vaze to use, Vimla Hiran said, adding that the police officer returned it on February 5, 2021, through a driver. Her husband had then told her that the steering of the SUV was hard, she said.
On February 17 Mansukh left for Mumbai in the SUV for business-related trip, but as the steering got jammed, he left it after crossing the Mulund toll plaza and took a cab, she said.
The next day when he returned to the spot with one of his employees, it was missing, so he lodged a complaint of car theft at Vikhroli Police Station, she said.
On February 25, when the SUV with gelatin sticks was found near Ambani's house, her husband got a call from an ATS inspector, she said. Mansukh and their son Lucky then went to meet the officer near their building, she told the police.
The officer showed him a picture of the SUV and Hiran identified it. He later told her that he went with Sachin Vaze to the Mumbai police's crime branch the next morning for inquiry and returned around 10.30 pm with Vaze.
He showed her a copy of his recorded statement which also bore the name and signature of Vaze, Vimla told the ATS.
On March 2, Mansukh told her that he had gone to Mumbai with Vaze, and on his insistence filed a complaint addressed to the Chief Minister, Home Minister and police commissioners of Mumbai and Thane about harassment faced from the media and police, her statement said.
She asked him if he had been tortured and Mansukh denied, but said he was constantly getting calls.
On March 3 he told her that Vaze had asked him to get arrested in the case and assured that he (Vaze) will get him out on bail within 2-3 days, the statement claimed.
She advised him against doing any such thing and he seemed tensed, she told the ATS.
On March 4, her husband called his brother Vinod Hiran and said he needed a lawyer to apply for anticipatory bail as he feared arrest, Vimla said in the statement.
He returned home early the same day, and said he had to go out again as a police officer named Tawde wanted to meet him, she said.
He was going to Ghodbunder Road to consult the police who were their well-wishers, he assured her.
Mansukh left in an auto rickshaw and after 11 pm his phone became unreachable, so she called Vinod Hiran. Vinod called Vaze who advised him to wait till morning, she said.
Next day Vinod filed a missing person complaint and around 3.30 pm her son informed her that Mansukh's body has been found in the creek, she told the ATS.
Her husband was a good swimmer so he could not have drowned in the creek, she stated.
She suspected that her husband might have been killed by Sachin Vaze, Vimla Hiran said in the statement, demanding a thorough probe.
Speaking to reporters in Mumbai on Tuesday, API Vaze said he would go through her allegations and only then respond.
Leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis demanded the arrest of a police officer in the Mansukh Hiran death case, and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh blamed the former chief minister for "covering up" the Anvay Naik suicide case.
Fadnavis demanded action against API Sachin Vaze in connection with the death of Hiran who was in possession of the SUV with explosives found outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani's house in south Mumbai.
The Naik suicide case, in which journalist Arnab Goswami had been arrested, was raked up, with the home minister saying the government will probe the "cover-up" of the case by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
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Cong claims TVK chief Vijay has sought its support for govt formation in Tamil Nadu
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday claimed that TVK chief Vijay has sought its support for government formation in Tamil Nadu and its leadership has directed the state unit to take a final decision on the matter, keeping in view the state's sentiments.
The party, which fought the assembly election in alliance with the DMK, asserted that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government and that it is determined "not to have the BJP and its proxies run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner".
Top Congress leaders held a meeting at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Tuesday evening that was attended by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar, among others.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Congress general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal said the Congress leadership discussed the post-election scenario in Tamil Nadu.
"TVK President Thiru Vijay has requested the Indian National Congress for support to form a Government in Tamil Nadu. He has spoken about drawing inspiration from Perumthalaivar Kamaraj as well, in his political mission.
"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government that is committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to have the BJP and its proxies run the Government of Tamil Nadu in any manner," he said.
"Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Thiru Vijay's request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state reflected in the electoral verdict," Venugopal told reporters.
Vijay's TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority. The results were declared only on Monday.
The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has bagged four seats. The CPI and CPI-M have two seats each.
On the other hand, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has won 59 seats while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 47 seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only one seat and so have the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), while the VCK has won two seats.
The Congress had fought the assembly polls in a pre-poll alliance with the DMK, while the BJP had a tie-up with the AIADMK.
