Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Friday took a swipe at the Narcotics Control Bureau stating that while the agency is recovering little quantity of drugs, the Maharashtra police have recovered drugs worth Rs 150 crore.
“They call people caught sniffing a pinch of Ganja mafia. All they are interested in is to catch celebrities, get their pictures clicked and make some noise,” Uddhav Thackeray said in his Dussehra speech while speaking on the ongoing drugs issue in Mumbai after the arrest of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan in connection with a cruise rave party.
Without naming the narcotics agency and the central government, Uddhav said an attempt is being made to defame Maharashtra as a hub of drugs. He also pointed out the drugs seizure at the Mundra port earlier last month when the DRI recovered narcotics from two containers from a cargo consignment. Speaking at Shiv Sena’s annual Dussehra rally at Shanmukhanand Hall in Mumbai, Thackeray asked, “Is it (drugs seizure) only happening in Maharashtra? Drugs worth crores was seized from Mundra Port.”
“Maharashtra is being looked at through a different lens. While we are being targeted, why are places like Uttar Pradesh, where rapes happen, not criticised as well?” Uddhav said adding that politicians who have now lost power are trying to malign the state’s image like ‘jilted lovers sometimes throw acid on a girl who spurns them’. “If you are calling the Mumbai Police ‘mafia’, then what will you term the UP Police?” Thackeray asked.
Ex-Mumbai Commissioner accused former Maha HM of asking controversial cop Sachin Vaze to collect Rs 100 crore per month
Thackeray’s defence of the Mumbai Police came months after allegations of graft were levelled against the police force by the former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, who had alleged that former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had asked controversial cop Sachin Vaze to collect Rs. 100 crore every month from bars, restaurants and other establishments. Singh had made the allegations in a letter addressed to Maharashtra CM following which Anil Deshmukh had to submit his resignation.
In the letter, Param Bir Singh said, “Sachin Vaze, who was heading the Crime Intelligence Unit of the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police was called by Shri Anil Deshmukh, Hon’ble Home Minister, Maharashtra, to his residence several times in the last few months and repeatedly instructed to assist in the collection of funds for the Hon’ble Home Minister.”
Param Bir Singh further stated that staff members of Anil Deshmukh were also present during the episode. He stated, “The Hon’ble Home Minister expressed to Shri Sachin Vaze that he had a target to accumulate 100 crores a month. For achieving the aforesaid target, the Hon’ble Home Minister told Shri Sachin Vaze that there were about 1750 bars and restaurants and other establishments in Mumbai and if a sum of 2-3 lakhs was collected from each of them, a monthly collection of 40-50 crores was achievable.”
Aryan Khan drug case
On Sunday, October 3, Aryan Khan, Arbaaz Merchant and many other people were detained from a luxury cruise liner where a rave party was going on. As per reports, cocaine MD, charas and MDMA pills were found on Khan and others with him.
Khan has been remanded to NCB custody till the 7th of October. Arbaz Seth Merchant and Munmun Dhamecha were also sent to NCB custody along with Aryan. Later, they were denied bail and sent to 14 days of judicial custody. Khan’s bail order has been reserved by the court till October 20.
