A fresh controversy has hit the Mumbai Police with the state police Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) requesting the Government for permission to probe corruption allegations against newly appointed city police chief D Sivanandan, days after his predecessor Hassan Gafoor was promoted and moved out after being criticised for “poor leadership” by a Government panel that probed the 26/11 attacks.

But the Maharashtra Government is in a fix over allowing such a probe as it suspects that the move could be the latest chapter in the internal rivalries that have wracked the state police and hurt its reputation, particularly since it comes during the last weeks of the outgoing ACB chief, sources told The Indian Express.

Sivanandan is the second officer DGP (ACB) Suprakash Chakravarty wants to investigate. He has also sought permission to investigate Additional DGP Ahmed Javed for alleged graft and had sent the two letters simultaneously but is yet to hear from the Government.

Chakravarty wants to conduct an “open inquiry” against Sivanandan over alleged irregularities in the manner in which funds were collected and a police school built in Thane by Sivanandan when he was Police Commissioner there between 2005 and 2008.

The Thane Police School was opened to educate children of policemen who cannot afford private schools. A four-storey building was constructed on a 34,335 sq ft plot. To raise funds for the building, a ‘Shiamak Davar Show’ was organised in December 2005. Construction began in March 2006 after Rs 3.5 crore was collected, and it was completed within three months according to the website of the school, which opened in June 2006.

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