No enquiries here -- Rane to policemen

No enquiries here -- Rane to policemen
EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Mumbai, Feb 10: The enquiry against Narayan Rane and Nitin Gadkari for allegedly suppressing sensitive information is turning out to be bit of a farce due to casual approach of crime branch sleuths and adamancy of Rane who sent back a police officer who came calling on him today.

``A senior official from the crime branch called on me today. However in the absence of a specific notice as required under the provisions of law, I rejected his plea for information on activities of gangsters, Rane told The Indian Express and added ``I have not opened an enquiry counter.''

Rane said it was a simple letter from the crime branch, requesting for information on his statements in a section of the media on alleged ISI links of some of the visitors to the official residence of Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal. ``Why should I take cognisance of such letters, which have no legal sanctity,'' he asked.

The letter marked `confidential' was delivered to Rane's office on Wednesday and today, a senior official called onhim to seek information, but when the former chief minister declined to oblige him, the official left. The letter sought information and details of Rane's statements on ISI and also sought to know if he had made such statements at all.

Significantly, there was absolutely no mention of the provisions of either the Indian Penal Code or the Criminal Procedure Code under which the information was being sought from Rane.

``Though I have already made it clear that my statements and the information given by me to the media are on the record of the Mumbai police, this is not the way an inquiry should be conducted. I feel the government is not taking the the sudden spurt in the ISI activities in the metropolis seriously, '' Rane said.

After Rane disclosed that two of the main accused in the serial bomb blast case had called on Bhujbal at his official residence and that they had links with ISI, Additional Advocate General P Janardhanan had written to Chief Secretary Arun Bongirwar, asking him to conduct aninquiry against Rane under the provisions of Section 39 of the Criminal Procedure Code. Under the section, hiding or suppressing information against criminals is an offence.

Taking serious cognisance of Janardhanan's advice, Bongiwar had asked Commissioner of Police R H Mendonca to conduct an inquiry against Rane as well as Gadkari and submit a report within three days.

According to V Rangnathan, Additional Chief Secretary, so far Mendonca has not submitted him any report. ``Certainly, three days time has been given to Mendonca, but the deadline is not set by the court and therefore, there could be some delay,'' Rangnathan said.