Ex-minister of Maharashtra Anil Deshmukh’s police escorts were warned to be on guard and to avoid “secret” meetings.

MUMBAI: The Chandiwal commission’s office in south Mumbai received a letter of caution from the Arthur Road jail administration on Thursday, warning that former state home minister Anil Deshmukh and his former private secretary Sanjeev Palande would be escorted there by police teams. The prison superintendent issued copies of its letter to Deshmukh, Palande, and the commission investigating the March 20, 2021 letter from former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh to chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in which Singh made allegations against Deshmukh, including that he had demanded assistant police inspectors be removed from their posts. While Deshmukh, Palande, and Waze are all named as defendants in the case filed by the Enforcement Directorate, they are all acting as witnesses in the investigation being conducted by the commission. In November, there was a stir when it was revealed that Singh and Waze had a “secret” meeting in a room next to the Chandiwal commission’s office while the escorting police personnel stood outside. Despite denials from both Singh and Waze, Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale still decided to look into the meeting. Anti-Terrorism Squad assistant commissioner Siddheshwar Gove and police inspector Dinkar Mohite submitted an 804-page confidential re- cord to the commission in connection with the Antilia bomb scare and the Mansukh Hiran murder case, and their colleague in Navi Mumbai, Bipin Kumar Singh, followed suit. Show-cause notices were reportedly issued to the four errant policemen for dereliction of duty. The commission rejected Waze’s application for production on Friday in preparation of an application due to the sensitivity of the documents. In a recent application, Deshmukh had accused Singh of masterminding the parking of an explosives-laden SUV near the home of industrialist Mukesh Ambani and the subsequent murder of vehicle owner Hiran. Deshmukh, Palande, and Waze will have to appear before the commission on February 8 after the hearing was postponed until then.