The NCP on Wednesday claimed that the nexus was exposed among the former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, former additional director general of police (Intelligence) Rashmi Shukla, and IPS officers appointed during the BJP rule. This was because the petition filed by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh has mentioned Shukla’s report on the alleged police transfer racket.
"The petition filed by Param Bir Singh mentions Rashmi Shukla’s report. @Dev_Fadnavis makes allegations based on this report. From the petition it has been exposed nexus among Fadnavis, Shukla and IPS officers appointed during BJP government,’’ said NCP in a tweet.
Earlier, the party chief spokesman and Minister of Minority Affair Nawab Malik had alleged that Fadnavis was levelling charges against the state government based on Shukla’s report. Malik further said that Fadnavis charges about large-scale corruption in police transfers and postings was another ploy by the BJP to topple the MVA government which would fail. NCP had alleged that Shukla was a BJP agent and prepared the call record illegally.
Fadnavis had slammed the state government by releasing the two-page ‘’Top Secret’’ letter by Shukla on her report seeking action. However, the state Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte came out with a five-page report saying that Shukla had illegally tapped phones and there was no substance in her report which was based on the transcript of two unknown persons. Shukla had tendered an apology for going beyond the approval she had got for phone tapping and the government pardoned her on humanitarian grounds. However, the government warned that she may face punitive action if it was proved that she leaked her two-page letter.
Kunte in his report contended that no transfers were done during the period in which IPS officer Rashmi Shukla tapped the phones and submitted her report. In 2020, except in a few cases, all transfers were done on the recommendation of the police establishment board.
The Mumbai Cyber Cell has recently filed FIR against unknown persons in the case of leaking of the phone tapping report prepared by Shukla.