NIA taking over SUV case amounts to demoralising Mumbai Police: Sanjay Raut
Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday alleged that the NIA taking over the probe into the recovery of an explosives-laden SUV near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's residence here amounted to demoralising the Mumbai Police and creating instability in Maharashtra.
Talking to reporters here, Raut also said Mumbai Police officer Sachin Waze, who was arrested late Saturday night by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), is an "honest, successful officer and a good investigator".
"The state government's prestige is at stake in this case," the Rajya Sabha member said.
A Scorpio found parked near Ambani's house on Carmichael Road in south Mumbai on February 25 contained some gelatin sticks and a threat letter.
Waze, an "encounter specialist", is also facing heat in the murder case of Thane-based businessman Mansukh Hiran who was in possession of the Scorpio. Hiran was found dead in a creek in Thane district on March 5.
The state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) is investigating the Hiran murder case. It had registered an FIR against unidentified persons days after Hiran's body was found.
Raut said the Mumbai Police were capable of investigating both the cases and involvement of central agencies "wasn't required".
"They (Mumbai Police) are capable and professional.
They can't be pressurised. The NIA taking over the probe amounts to creating pressure and terror of the central government bylowering the morale of the police and destabilising the state," he alleged.
The Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson further charged that Waze's arrest by the NIA amounted to encroaching upon the rights of the police and an attack on their capabilities.
Raut said state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had handed over the probe to the ATS, but the NIA entered the scene to probe the recovery of 20 gelatin sticks in the Scorpio.
To a question on sections under which Waze has been charged, Raut said, "There is a difference between charges being levelled and the charges being proved."
"The state government's prestige is at stake in this case," he further said.
Raut also said the government should take "very seriously" the issue of sensitive information reaching the opposition leaders first.
The opposition should explain what the CBI's probe found into the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death which the Mumbai Police had not investigated.
Meanwhile, Home Minister Deshmukh told reporters in Nagpur that the ATS and NIA were probing the recovery of the explosives-laden vehicle and the case of Hiran's death.
"The truth will come out and action will be taken accordingly," he said.
When asked if Waze would be suspended, Deshmukh did not many any comment.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
