Mayur Vira, son of deceased Right To Information (RTI) activist Bhupendra Vira, 60, has blamed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Police for the murder of his father.
Mayur Vira, son of deceased Right To Information (RTI) activist Bhupendra Vira, 60, has blamed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Police for the murder of his father. He has also claimed that a case of assault on his father, registered in 2010, was shut abruptly a couple of months ago and should be reopened.
Vira was shot dead at point blank range in his house in Vakola, Santa Cruz (E), earlier this month. Former corporator Razzak Khan, his son Amjad and some other perpetrators were arrested on the basis of suspicion. A desi katta was also recovered from their residence.
Mayur claimed that prompt action by the Mumbai police and demolition of illegal structures by the civic body could have weakened Khan's courage and he would have not taken this step. "The BMC and Mumbai police are to be blamed equally. If they had taken prompt action, my father would have been alive today," said the businessman.
He further said, "The local politicians are now claiming that my father was extorting money. That's not true. We will be serving them with defamation notices after consulting with our lawyers."
Talking about the 2010 assault case, Mayur said: "The case against the father and the son (Razzak Khan, Amjad) was shut abruptly, without any investigation or verdict. We demand that the cops should arrest the other accused in the case, which should be dealt with on a priority basis."
Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) member Preeti Sharma slammed the Mumbai Police and called it a hopeless agency. She said, "They paid no heed to the complaints filed by the RTI activist and merely served notices. Our delegation met the Joint Commissioner and requested him to hold meetings with activists at least once a month to address their issues."
Land mafias continue exploitation
Mayur said his family will continue the fight started by his father. "Razzak Khan was made to pay Rs 35 lakh to the civic body for 42 water connections. Still, they continue to exploit the resources and are using water illegally," he said.
"Moreover, the civic body took no action against Khan's unauthorised constructions, as they are hand in glove with each other," he added.
Meanwhile, after seeking the custody of former corporator and his son till Friday, the Mumbai Crime Branch is now on a hot trail to nab the person who supplied the weapon to them two weeks ahead of Vira's murder. The cops said the investigation teams were not relying on the confession of the accused, and were ascertaining facts and seeking technical assistance in the case.
"We had produced them in the court and have been granted police custody till October 28 as we are yet to nab the person who gave the gun to the duo. We have a few leads and our teams are working to nab the accused," said Sanjay Saxena, Joint Commissioner of Police, Crime Branch.
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