JOIN USParam Bir Singh advises Deshmukh against FIR in Mohan Delkar case
The Maha Vikas Aghadi government may have ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the death of seven-time Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar but the then Mumbai Police chief Param Bir Singh has advised Home Minister Anil Deshmukh against it.
Delkar (58) died by suicide on 22 February at the Sea Green Hotel in Marine Drive in Mumbai.
Initially, the Marine Drive police station lodged an ADR and was carrying out the investigation, however, during the recently-concluded Budget Session of Maharashtra Legislature, the MVA government ordered an SIT and converted the ADR into an FIR.
The FIR names Praful Khoda Patel, the Administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu and officials of the Union Territory and booked them under the provisions of Indian Penal Code and Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Before that, Delker’s wife Kalaben Delkar, son Abhinav Delkar and daughter Binita had met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Deshmukh.
In the letter that Singh shot off to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, he made a mention of it.
“… from day one, Home Minister desired a case of abetment of suicide to be registered at Mumbai. My professional view after seeking appropriate legal advice was that while the suicide had occurred in Mumbai, all the alleged acts of abetment had taken place in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Thus, the abetment of suicide, if any, was required to be investigated by the Police at Dadra and Nagar Haveli who would have jurisdiction in that regard," the letter states.
Singh pointed out that due to his resistance, Deshmukh was unhappy as the political mileage desired to be derived from the registration of the abetment of suicide case in Mumbai in the death of Delkar was not being achieved.
“Despite being fully aware of the opinion of the legal experts, the general opinion and the reasons behind it, Deshmukh announced the setting up of a SIT and registration of an FIR into Mohan Delkar’s death,” he said.