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Former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Somaiya on Tuesday claimed that a fake FIR was filed in his name at the Khar police station in north west Mumbai which he had not even signed, after his car was allegedly vandalised on Saturday, April 23, while he was returning from the police station after meeting arrested Navneet Rana, an independent MP, and her MLA husband Ravi Rana.
Talking to reporters outside the Khar police station, Somaiya hit out at Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey over the issue and also alleged that some 'goons' had been sent by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to attack him.
"The Mumbai police filed a fake FIR in my name, it is not signed by me. Is Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey unaware of such legality? I came here to file an actual FIR against the fake FIR filed by the police," Somaiya said.
Somaiya later claimed Khar police station officers admitted that an FIR was registered at the Bandra police station, also in north west Mumbai, on Monday, April 25, 'on the instructions of Police Commissioner Sanjay Pandey.'
"It was not signed by me, still it was sent to the Khar police station and the officials even initiated action based on it. Is Pandey aware of the legal provision that such an unsigned FIR is illegal?" the BJP leader asked.
The unsigned FIR, which was uploaded on the Mumbai police commissioner's Web site, exposes the "forgery and cheating" on the police commissioner's part, he claimed.
"I demand a criminal investigation against the Mumbai police commissioner, who asked (police officials) to get such an FIR registered," Somaiya said.
The BJP leader said he would meet Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Wednesday and inform him about such practices.
"Today, I demanded an official copy of the FIR. I found that I had not signed it. According to CrPC section 154, my signature should have been there. Are the Mumbai police trying to save Shiv Sena goons?" Somaiya asked.
The BJP leader also claimed that he was made to sit at the Khar police station for two hours, but his complaint in the matter was not accepted.
"I was told that my complaint would be accepted and I was made to sit for two hours. After receiving a phone call from the Mumbai police commissioner, Khar police station officials destroyed all the papers and the FIR was not registered," he alleged.
Asked about various allegations, including cheating, levelled against him by leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi in the state, Somaiya said if he had done anything wrong, the authorities were free to take any action against him.
The Mumbai police late on Saturday night registered an FIR against Somaiya's driver for allegedly driving in a rash and negligent manner, due to which a Shiv Sena corporator and a party worker suffered minor injuries.
The police had on Monday also arrested four Shiv Sena members, including former city mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, for allegedly vandalising Somaiya's car.
Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had said Somaiya should know that arrested persons can only meet their legal counsel or relatives, and that the BJP leader had no business to go to the police station to meet the Rana couple.