The Maharashtra government on Wednesday transferred Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh in the aftermath of the recovery of explosives from a car in front of the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani that led to the arrest of a controversial police officer.

Singh, who has been accused of “mishandling” the case, has been posted as the head of the state home guard, home minister Anil Deshmukh said. Senior IPS officer Hemant Nagrale, holding additional charge of Maharashtra director-general of police, will be the new Mumbai police commissioner.

Deshmukh, who met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray earlier in the day, made the announcement on Twitter amid speculation in the media over Singh’s handling of
the episode of Sachin Waze, the assistant inspector in National Investigation Agency custody after he purportedly admitted to his role in the placing of explosives in front of Ambani’s home.

“Big decision of the government. Shri Hemant Nagrale will be the new Mumbai Police Commissioner. Shri Rajnish Seth will have the additional charge of the post of Director General of Police, Maharashtra,” Deshmukh tweeted. “Shri Sanjay Pandey will have the responsibility of Maharashtra State Security Corporation. Shri Param Bir Singh will have the responsibility of the Home Guard,” the home minister added.

Param Bir Singh. (File picture)

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s move comes in the wake of a series of meetings among leaders of the ruling Shiv Sena- NCP-Congress alliance.

Questions have also been raised on the police investigation into the alleged suicide of Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar.

Waze, arrested in the explosives case on March 13, had been attached to the Crime Intelligence Unit of Mumbai police’s crime branch till recently. He was suspended after the NIA arrested him.

The transfer of Singh follows Monday’s talks between chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, amid reports that Waze had stage-managed the bomb scare.

The NIA had recovered some “incriminating” documents and electronic evidence such as a laptop, an iPad and mobile phones from Waze’s office, an official of the agency had said on Tuesday.

A black Mercedes car, being used by Waze, was also seized from a parking lot near the CSMT station, and Rs 5 lakh in cash, a note-counting machine, two number plates and some clothes were recovered from it, the official added.