MUMBAI, 13 October 2007 — The Maharashtra government has taken strong objections to the Punjab government’s attitude in the arrest of state top cop Swardeep Singh Virk.
In a strong missive of protest sent by state Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil to federal Home Minister Shivraj Patil, the former has brought to Shivraj Patil’s notice the breach of protocol and common courtesy shown by the Punjab government following the arrest of former Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) S.S. Virk, a Maharashtra cadre IPS officer who was on deputation to the Punjab state.
An official said, “It’s now more than a month since Virk, who belongs to the Maharashtra cadre and rejoined his parent cadre in April 2007, was arrested. It’s regrettable that the Maharashtra government is yet to receive any official intimation from the Punjab government about the arrest of Virk. All that is known to us is what we read in the newspaper.”
Virk was arrested from Maharashtra Sadan on Sept. 9 by the Punjab Vigilance Department in connection with a disproportionate assets case.
This was preceded by his removal as Punjab DGP shortly before the assembly elections were held in March this year. Virk has served in Punjab for the past 23 years and his arrest was seen as politically motivated move as he was believed to be close to the erstwhile Congress party and Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh — whose government was voted out of power by the Akali Dal.
Meanwhile, an alleged Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) operative Mustafa Mahmud Syed, who was arrested on Wednesday in Hyderabad, was brought to Mumbai on Thursday.
Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) officials said that Mustafa had crucial information about the Aurangabad explosives and arms haul mastermind Zabiuddin Ansari’s links with Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI). Mustafa is the 20th accused to be arrested in the case, while eight accused are still absconding.
According to Subodh Jaiswal, the Additional Commissioner of Police (ATS), Mustafa will be interrogated thoroughly to ascertain his role in the arms haul.
