Having made it clear that his Government would investigate the circumstances leading to the alleged suicide by seven-time Dadra Nagar Haveli MP Mohan S Delkar, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said here on Sunday that he would request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to direct the authorities in the Union Territory to cooperate with the Mumbai Police in the investigations.
Hours after Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut indirectly slammed the BJP and a section of the media for their “silence” over Delkar’s alleged suicide – unlike in the case of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death last year, the chief minister said: “The probe hasn’t begun yet. But I will request the Prime Minister and Home Minister to instruct the authorities in the Union Territory to cooperate with the Mumbai police when they reach there for investigation”.
Talking to media persons on the eve of the 10-day budget session of the State Legislature beginning here on Monday, Uddhav said: “An independent MP+ ends his life by suicide...he writes 14 to 16 pages... He commits because of harassment. This is serious”.
In an indirect dig at the BJP, Uddhav said: “The suicide note mentions names of some people. Why is nobody speaking about it?”
Uddhav, however, declined to comment on the issues relating to the investigations into Delkar’s death.
Earlier in the day, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut wondered as to why the people who had raised a hue and cry over actor Sushant Singh Rajput’’s death were silent over the mystery shrouding Delkar’s death.
In his weekly column “Rokhthok” in the Sena mouthpiece ‘’Saamana’’, Raut slammed the BJP and a section of the media over Sushant’s death and demolition of a portion of actress Kangana Ranaut’s bungalow
“Last year, there was such a hullabaloo and sensation in the media. Now everyone is silent. Delkar’s purported suicide note blamed the administrator of Dadra and Nagar Haveli for alleged harassment and pressure brought to bear on him to join the BJP,” Raut said.
Raut, who is the Executive Editor of Saamana, said that Delkar must have thought that the Mumbai Police would act on his suicide note and arrest those who abetted him to commit suicide.
On his part, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had said last that the Mumbai police would investigate the circumstances leading to Delkar’s suicide.
It may be recalled that 58-year-old Delkar was found hanging in a hotel in the Marine Drive in south Mumbai on February 22. Fifty-eight-year-old Delkar is suspected to have committed suicide by hanging himself. The police had recovered a 16-page suicide note from the hotel room where Delkar’s body was found.
It may be recalled that on February 24, the ruling Congress – which is one of the three constituents in the MVA government in Maharashtra had turned the needle of suspicion towards Administrator of the Union Territory (UT) of Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and former BJP MLA Praful Patel who, it alleged, was among the UT officials that harassed Delkar leading the latter ending his life.
In a video-conference held with Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, State Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant and party’s spokesperson Dr Raju Wagmare alluded to a video clip released by late Delkar in mid-2020 and the suicide note left by the latter and rooted for thorough investigations into the circumstances leading to the suicide by the sitting MP.
“The tragic end of Mr Delkjar needs to be investigated. He has left A 16-page suicide note in which he has mentioned the names of all the officials who harassed him. It is being discussed among people that he has mentioned the name of Praful Patel, who is currently working as the Administrator of Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu since 2016,” Sawant and Dr Wagmare had said in their representation to the State Home Minister.
“Mr Patel is a former BJP MLA from Himatnagar constituency in Gujarat for its 12th legislative Assembly. He also served as an Minister of State for Home of Gujarat and is very close to the RSS and BJP’s national leadership,” the two Congress leaders had said.