(28 Oct) The Central government is going very slow over deporting underworld don Chhota Rajan back to the country. In fact, the Centre is yet to make a decision on Rajan’s deportation and could delay the procedure for the time being. Mr K.P. Bakshi, additional chief secretary for home, also admitted that they have not received any official confirmation from the Centre about the arrest of the fugitive don so far. Meanwhile, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said his government would provide all the documental evidences to the Centre for making the deportation of Chhota Rajan possible.
The chief minister also emphasised on the arrest of Dawood Ibrahim, India’s most wanted fugitive don, after Rajan. Ending a 28-year-old global manhunt, one of the country’s most wanted gangsters Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje alias Chhota Rajan was arrested in the Indonesian resort island of Bali on a tip-off from the Australian Federal Police on Monday. The Central government has said that Rajan would be deported to India soon. He had been hiding in Australia for over a year, and got in touch with Indian authorities four-five months ago. However, according to highly placed sources in the Maharashtra government, the Central government is going very slow on the issue of deporting Chhota Rajan. “The government and its agencies – Intelligence Bureau and Central Bureau of Investigation is yet to take a call whether to deport the underworld don immediately or not,” revealed a senior Mantralaya official. The sources added that the government could also delay the procedure for deporting Rajan for the time being as it might want to make a full-proof case against him.
“It seems that the objective of the government is not only to bring Rajan back for the sake of putting him behind the bars. They must want to make a strong case against him and thus are yet to start the process for his deportation,” the senior official said. Mr Bakshi admitted that the Maharashtra government has not received any official confirmation from the Centre on Rajan’s arrest. “As of now, we have not received any confirmation or information from the Centre over Rajan’s arrest. Once the directives are received, action will be taken accordingly,” he said. Earlier in the day, chief minister Fadnavis in Sangli said the Centre is after Dawood Ibrahim now. “Rajan has been arrested and Maharashtra government would provide all the documental evidences to the Centre as the red corner notice was basically issued by us. Now, the state government also wants Dawood to be arrested and the Centre is after him,” Mr Fadnavis said.
