Patil's fellow revellers at Eid party have no underworld links: Cops

Sanjeev Shivadekar, TNN, Oct 4, 2010

MUMBAI: In a breather for state home minister R R Patil, the police department probing the antecedents of three participants at a recent Eid party, have not found any evidence of their underworld links in their records.

Patil had attended an Eid party at his colleague and NCP leader Naseem Siddiqui's residence in Byculla. A news channel flashed pictures of Patil celebrating the festival along with Salim Patel, Mobin Qureshi and Irfan Qureshi, who allegedly have underworld links. Immediately after the controversy, the police officials were asked to get the details of the cases against the trio.

The police department has found that there are cases against two of them. But there is no evidence of the trio having underworld links, said a senior home department official.

Salim Patel alias Salim Goa Gutkha has only one case of extortion, registered in 2007. Similarly, of the total 11 cases registered against Mobin Qureshi, one is a property dispute and is pending in court, one case has been mutually settled outside the court and in nine other cases, the court has acquitted him. There is not a single case registered against Irfan Qureshi.

"Any individual can seek the details of the record under the right to information (RTI) and verify the report. The report is negative and based on facts and not to appease Patil just because he heads the home department," the official said in reply to a question whether the police department was trying to protect Patil by almost giving him a "clean chit". TOI is in the possession of the copy that reveals the information such as number of cases pending against the three people and their current legal status.

Patil was not available for comment. But the minister had earlier stated that he was unaware of the people who were around him at the party. "Politicians attend gatherings and several other functions. It is difficult to scan all people coming there," he had stated. The minister, in his defence, had asked why a minister would go in full glare of the media for a function that would be attended by people having alleged criminal records.

Siddiqui, chairman of the state minorities' commission, refused to comment. "I will plead my case before the party leaders and not before the media," he said.

Salim Patel also had his pictures clicked with senior Congress leaders too. TOI is in the possession of pictures where Patel is seen rubbing shoulders with Vilasrao Deshmukh and Narayan Rane. There was no response from Deshmukh and Rane's office.