Wankhede ‘harassment’: SC commission asks Mumbai police chief to appear before it on Jan 31

New Delhi: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has asked Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale to appear before it on January 31 for an in-person hearing in connection with former NCB zonal director Sameer Wankhede’s ”harassment” complaint.

The NCSC has also asked Wankhede to be present for the hearing.

Wankhede, who led the probe in the cruise drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan was arrested, was recently accused by Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik of faking his caste certificate.

Malik had alleged that Wankhede was a Muslim and had forged his caste certificate and other documents to secure a job as an IRS officer under the SC quota after clearing the UPSC examination.

Wankhede has denied the allegations. He had written to the NCSC alleging harassment following ”disclosures” made by Malik.

In a letter to Nagrale, NCSC director Kaushal Kumar said, ”Chairman Vijay Sampla has fixed a meeting with you, in person, on January 31 at 11 am in his chamber at Lok Nayak Bhawan, New Delhi. Accordingly, you are to appear in person, along with an updated action taken report and all relevant documents including the relevant files, case diaries, to facilitate the hearing.” The NCSC also asked the Maharashtra government not to take a final decision in the matter till the investigation is pending before the commission.

”No final decision in the matter is to be taken by the State Government till the pendency of the investigation of the case in the Commission. This is as per Commission’s Rules of Procedure (RoP) clause 7.2,” the letter stated.

Wankhede’s tenure with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) ended on December 31, 2021, following which he was sent back to this parent organisation Directorate of Revenue Intelligence.