Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan courts controversy for attending wedding of Dawood Ibrahim's relative

BJP leader and a minister in the Maharashtra cabinet, Girish Mahajan, and 10 Nashik policemen are embroiled in a controversy as they were reportedly spotted at the wedding of a relative of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, according to DNA . 

Mahajan, who is considered a key aide of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was seen at the wedding of Dawood’s niece along with several other BJP leaders and several policemen attached to Bhadrakali police station in Old City area.

A well-known resident of Old Nashik, Jaggi Konkani’s daughter got married to the son of spiritual guru Khatib, at an extravagant event on 19 May. The bride’s aunt is married to Dawood’s brother Ibrahim Kaskar, according to a report in  The Times of India .

The wedding was held at a mall in the city’s Mahatma Nagar area_._ 

Taking cognisance, Nashik police commissioner Ravindra Singhal on Wednesday ordered an internal inquiry  against the police personnel concerned. The statements of the policemen have also been recorded and preliminary enquiry suggested that although the police officers were present at the wedding, they have claimed that they did not know that the family was related to Dawood.

The invitation for the marriage was reportedly given to the police personnel by Khatib.

Some politicians, including MLAs and corporators, reportedly attended the function too. However, Singhal said he could not confirm this though he conceded that the invitation was indeed sent to some politicians.

“The invitation for the marriage was sent to some police officials of Bhadrakali police station and also to some corporators, political personalities, MLAs etc,” he told PTI.

Singhal, however, didn’t specify the exact number of police personnel who attended the marriage.

According to sources in local police, an ACP-rank officer also attended the function.

Singhal said the statements of the police personnel who attended the marriage are being recorded.

“It will take two days to complete the internal enquiry against the officials as some of them are on leave,” he said, adding that the police force was also busy in providing bandobast in Malegaon in the district where municipal corporation elections were held on Wednesday.

Mahajan also denied knowledge of the fact that the family was related to Dawood. He told The Times of India  that he knew Khatib personally as he is a respected member of the society, and he attended the wedding on his invitation. The medical education minister further said that being the guardian minister of Nashik, he receives many such invitations, which is why he couldn’t possibly have traced the antecedents of all the people who invite him to various events.

Meanwhile, the police has confirmed that the bride’s family was related to Dawood, however, there was nothing to indicate that the wanted criminal could have made an appearance.

Dawood is the main accused in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case in Mumbai in which around 260 people were killed, and more than 700 suffered injuries. He fled the country post the bombings and is understood to be hiding in Pakistan at present.

With inputs from agencies