The government was reportedly upset by Maria's over-involvement in the murder case. By evening, however, the government further sprang a surprise, saying that even though Maria will no longer be in charge of the Mumbai police, he will continue to monitor the Sheena case.
On Tuesday morning, the state government surprised everyone by shunting Rakesh Maria out as police commissioner and appointed him as Director General (Civil Defence and Home Guards).
The government was reportedly upset by Maria's over-involvement in the murder case. By evening, however, the government further sprang a surprise, saying that even though Maria will no longer be in charge of the Mumbai police, he will continue to monitor the Sheena case.
Earlier in the day, Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Home, K P Bakshi, maintained that Sheena Bora is just another murder case for the government, reportedly succumbing to media pressure. By evening, Bakshi released a fresh statement saying, "Sheena Bora murder case investigation will continue to be monitored by Rakesh Maria even after his elevation and transfer."
Bakshi also claimed that Maria's transfer was not sudden and it was a routine one, which was due for a while. "No decision in the government is sudden. Maria's transfer was due and the process was on for the last the 3-4 weeks. Director General Sanjeev Dayal and other senior officers were consulted before the final call," he told dna.
However, he admitted that the process was advanced by 22 days as the government did not want major changes to occur at the peak of the festive season.
"It is routine practice for the home department to make promotions in September. If I would not have taken the CM's approval yesterday, it would have got delayed by mid-September, as the CM is leaving for Japan tomorrow and that would have been too close to the festive season," he said.
Bakshi hinted that Maria himself preferred a comparatively relaxed profile. "Sometimes, officers who have served on posts with so much pressure want to move to a lesser hectic profile," he said. Commenting on the appointment of Ahmad Javed, who is due for retirement in January 2016, Bakshi said that it has been done purely on the basis of seniority. "Javed is a very competent and senior officer and the selection has been purely on merit and seniority," he added.
Earlier in the day, Bakshi ,when repeatedly asked if the transfer has anything to do with Maria's excess interest in the Sheena Bora murder case probe, said: "If an officer is taking too much personal interest in a case, it's not the government's job to say anything to him."
When asked if an officer with DG rank taking over the Mumbai commissioner's post means the post has been upgraded to that rank, Bakshi said it's a temporary arrangement. "On several occasions, posts and ranks have been interchanged to suit the requirement not only in Maharashtra but all over the country," he said.
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