 Dons orders: The complex was built at the behest of Dawood Ibrahim
MAHARASHTRAS former Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal has rubbished claims that he had pressured the police not to take action against the guilty in the controversial Sara Sahara shopping complex.
Refuting allegations, made by retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Shankar Kamble before a MCOCA court, the former home minister said, Yes, I did meet some BMC ward officers, but I never pressured the police not to take action against the guilty.
Bhujbal, who was the home minister in 2003 added further, Some old friends in the police department do not want to forget me and hence I am dragged into this. If I had interfered, then they would not have made any progress in the case.
Yesterday, Kamble told the MCOCA court Bhujbal had allegedly prevented him from arresting Rajendra Vale the then assistant municipal commissioner from A ward in the Sara Sahara case.
Kamble told MiD DAY that as per the procedure, he had briefed his superiors suspended Police Commissioner R S Sharma and Joint Commissioner of Police Sridhar Vagal about the evidence against Vale.
However, before action could be initiated against Vale, Kamble along with Sharma and Vagal were summoned to Bhujbals office in Mantralaya.
Bhujbal was appraised about the evidence against Vale, but he instructed us to go soft., Kamble said.
According to Kamble, as many as seven complaints were addressed to Vale and another assistant municipal commissioner, Kiran Achrekar, intimating them about the underworld involvement in the shopping complex.
But they did not take any action. Though Achrekar was arrested under MCOCA, Vale was not touched.
I have already been exonerated by the BMC. Not even an inquiry was ordered against me, Vale said.
However, the then Deputy Municipal Commissioner V Y Joshi in his report (a copy of which is with MiD DAY) had recommended a full-fledged probe against Vale, which never took place.
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