As the investigation into the Antilia bomb scare case and the subsequent death of Mansukh Hiren picks up pace, further details continue to emerge in the public domain pointing to a sinister conspiracy that went awry. Now, after the National Investigative Agency (NIA) arrested Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze, the latter has reportedly named Shiv Sena leaders during the interrogation.
According to an ABP Live report, Vaze who has been arrested allegedly “for his role and involvement in placing explosives-laden vehicle near Carmichael road,” on February 25, has admitted that he was a part of the conspiracy in the Antilia bomb threat case.
In fact, Vaze stated that he was a very small part of the plan as he claimed that the Shiv Sena leaders named by him have played a major role in the case. “I am a piece of Iceberg in this case,” said Vaze, according to ABP.
As the role of Vaze continues to become more clearer by the day in the bomb threat case and the subsequent mysterious death of SUV owner Mansukh Hiren, it is unlikely that Vaze would have been acting alone. Such an elaborate conspiracy that too against one of India’s top businessmen wouldn’t have taken place without the tacit backing of Vaze’s higher-ups.
For the uninitiated, it was earlier found out that Mansukh Hiren was the owner of the SUV parked in front of Mukesh Ambani’s home. He was found dead under mysterious circumstances only a couple of days later. Moreover, Mansukh’s family members had accused Vaze of being complicit in his mysterious death.
Perhaps this explains why Shiv Sena is trying to defend the police officer tooth and nail. After Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray tried his might to defend and shield Sachin Vaze, it was the turn of Sanjay Raut, who in his column in Saamna claimed that Vaze is an “honest, successful and a good investigator.” Unsurprisingly, Raut raised questions on the investigation as he wondered why is a central investigation agency probing a businessman’s case.
Clearly, the Shiv Sena is struggling to contain the political fallout as a result of this episode and is on the tenterhooks after Vaze named a section of Shiv Sena leaders.
The Shiv Sena has tried to make the central government the scapegoat, which was quite visible from the vitriol they spread through their editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamna. To quote an excerpt from the same, “Arnab Goswami duped everybody in the TRP scam, which was being investigated by Vaze. Did the opposition create hue and cry because Arnab will have to answer questions related to the suicide and TRP scam? It is wrong to create ruckus on Mansukh Hiren case because Vaze shut BJP’s beloved Arnab’s mouth.”
It remains to be seen which turn does the case take, but one thing is clear, the Shiv Sena and the Maha Vikas Aghadi government are in a tight spot after NIA’s crackdown on Vaze in relation to the death of Mansukh Hiren.