Sameer Wankhede caste row: NCSC asks top Maharashtra govt officers to appear before it

“The petitioner (Wankhede) belongs to the SC Community as per the available documents so far. Inquiry of the case is being done by lower rank police officers and the constitution of SIT is not in accordance with the Act. The investigating officers are harassing the petitioner and his family members. This violation has been viewed by the Commission,” the panel had recorded in the minutes of its meeting held on January 31.

Referring to the January 31 meeting records, on February 11, Arun Haldar, vice-chairman of the Commission addressed a letter  to the state Chief Secretary (CS), DGP, Principal Secretary, Home department, Mumbai District Collector and Director General of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Research and Training Institute (BARTI), Pune to appear on March 7 for a hearing before NCSC vice-chairman Arun Haldar, with an “up-to-date action taken report” and all relevant documents, including files and case diaries etc.

On January 31, the panel had directed the Maharashtra government to register an FIR in the case within seven days. It had also asked it to file an action taken report in the said FIR within seven days, failing which, it had warned the state that an “emergent hearing” may be fixed by the commission.

The commission had also directed that the investigation be done by a police official not below the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in the case.

The panel had suggested the SIT formed by Mumbai Police to look into the allegations by Wankhede and dissolve them immediately as there was no provision under the Act to constitute such a team or to do preliminary examination before registration of FIR.

The NCSC had also advised police authorities and other officials not to harass Wankhede and his family members in the process of investigation or inquiry.

The Maharashtra Caste Scrutiny Committee was asked to expedite the matter of verification of the caste certificate of Wankhede and submit a report within a month.

Wankhede has been fighting allegations made by Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik that the officer forged his caste certificate and other documents to secure a job as an IRS officer under the SC quota after clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination.

Malik also alleged that Wankhede is a Muslim by birth. He had claimed that Wankhede’s father’s name was Dawood and not Dnyandev. Wankhede had denied all the allegations.

Wankhede was leading the probe in the cruise ship drugs case in which actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan was arrested.

He had, on October 26, 2021, written to the NCSC alleging harassment following the “disclosures, verbal attacks and threats” made by Malik, whose son-in-law was arrested in a drug case and later released on bail.

Wankhede had stated that he belongs to the Mahar caste, which comes under the SC community. He had claimed that the investigating officers of the SIT formed by Mumbai Police to look into his allegations were harassing his family members and relatives by asking inappropriate questions regarding his caste and religion.

After hearing all parties in the case, the NCSC on January 31 had observed that the police authority has not taken any action against the accused and instead, is harassing the petitioner’s family and no FIR was registered under the SC & ST Act.