NEW DELHI -- Mumbai Police Commissioner Rakesh Maria, who was shunted out while he was investigating the Sheena Bora murder case, reportedly views his transfer as "political," and is contemplating resignation even though he is still in charge of the high-profile investigation.
"Yes, I'm thinking of resigning," was Maria's response when asked about his next course of action, The Times Of India reported on Wednesday.
Maria, 58, was elevated to the rank of Director General, Home Guard on Tuesday.
Since the transfer, the media has been rife with speculation over its cause, and suggestions have ranged from over-zealousness in handling the case to the former Mumbai police chief having a sympathetic attitude towards Peter Mukerjea, media baron and husband of main accused Indrani Mukerjea in the murder of 24-year-old Sheena.
Maria has denied having any links with Peter.
"I swear by my sons that I have never met Indrani or Peter in my life. I saw Indrani for the first time at the Khar police lock-up and although I have been visiting Khar police station to pursue the Sheena case, I first saw Peter only this Monday when I interrogated him,'' he is reported to have said, according to The Times Of India.
Citing sources, NDTV reported that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is displeased with the enthusiasm displayed by Maria in handling the Bora case, and he has pointed out that all investigations are equally important.
Over the past few weeks, the media's aggressive coverage of the Sheena Bora murder case has been buoyed by press conferences given by the police, and leaks from the department.
Maria has handled the investigations into the 2003 blasts at Mumbai's Zaveri Bazaar and Gateway of India that killed 52 people. He also led the probe into the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and the German Bakery blast in Pune.
Meanwhile, Ahmed Jawed, a 1980-batch IPS officer, who took charge immediately as the city's top cop on Tuesday, said that it wasn't important which team probed the Sheena Bora murder case as long as the investigation was factual and correct.
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