"Param Bir Singh was removed as Mumbai Police chief to ensure that there is a thorough probe, free and fair... Two reputed agencies, the NIA and ATS are investigating, both are conducting the probes professionally," he said.

 

Deshmukh contended that a junior officer (Vaze) had committed some mistakes which came up in the probe and hence these could not be pardoned or ignored, and since Param Bir Singh was the overall in-charge, it was better that he is posted elsewhere to ensure an impartial probe.

 

He said he discussed the issued with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and it was decided to shift out Singh so that there are no obstacles to the investigations, while warning that "no officer, big or small, shall be spared in the probe".

 

These were Deshmukh's first reactions a day after the transfers while interacting with two private Marathi channels during a prestigious media event organised by the Lokmat Group of Publications.

 

On the claims by Bharatiya Janata Party's Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis that when he was the Chief Minister, then ally Shiv Sena had pressured him in 2018 to get Vaze reinstated to the police force, Deshmukh dismissively termed it as a "political statement".

 

"Fadnavis is very well aware that for persons of the rank of Assistant Police Inspector, there is a committee at the Police Commissioner level which reviews such cases and takes suitable decisions to reinstate them. These files are handled by the CoP committee and do not come to the government. Neither the CM nor I have the authority to take decisions for an API-level officer," he noted.

 

He reiterated that any officer found guilty will be booked and prosecuted in the sensational matters of the SUV case and the death of Thane businessman Mansukh Hiren, which have triggered a massive political furore.