Oil mafia: Maharashtra Minister, DGP trade charges

Mumbai, Feb 27 (PTI) Maharashtra Director General ofPolice D Sivanandhan''s statement that a government resolution(GR) "tied the hands of the police" from cracking down on theoil mafia has evoked a sharp reaction from the StateGovernment.

Rubbishing the DGP''s claim, Food and Civil SuppliesMinister Anil Deshmukh has said the senior IPS officer''scomments were "totally wrong".

Sivanandhan''s remarks, given in the backdrop ofNashik Additional Collector Yashwant Sonawane''s brutalkilling, allegedly by the oil mafia, last month created afurore in state political and bureaucratic circles.

The IPS officer, who retires tomorrow, had said atAurangabad on Wednesday that the GR prevented the police fromgoing after the mafia, and insinuated that after Sonawane''smurder, the Government was putting the onus of tackling theoil mafia on police.

"There was a GR in 2004, which said the police aloneshould not conduct raids as there were many complaints (ofthem taking bribes). But this GR was rectified in 2005 and thepolice, revenue and civil supplies officials were given backall the powers (on conducting raids)," Deshmukh said.

The Essential Commodities Act was not as effective asthe Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Suppliesof Essential Commodities Act which empowered the Collector,Superintendent of Police and the Commissioner of Police totake stringent action, he said.