In a major volte-face, former Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Neeraj Kumar has refuted claims attributed to him that Dawood Ibrahim was willing to surrender and that the CBI had been loath to offer him security.
The clarification came after Kumar faced the heat for his comments – which he has apparently also made in a book due to come out this year. General VK Singh, BJP MP and ex-Army Chief had chastised him strongly on Twitter, saying: “If he wanted to say something, should have said during his tenure.”
A report in Hindustan Times had claimed that the former DIG had spoken to the mastermind of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts thrice, during which time Dawood had even expressed his desire to surrender – but apparently the agency had not been willing to take him up on his offer.
“I spoke to a jittery Dawood three times in June 1994. He seemed to be toying with the idea of surrendering but had one worry – his rival gangs could finish him off if he returned to India. I told him his safety would be the responsibility of the CBI.”
– Neeraj Kumar to Hindustan Times
After being given the go-ahead to talk to the gangster, however, his seniors had apparently put an abrupt end to the talks. According to the report in HT, Kumar had stated that he was still unsure whether the then PV Narasimha Rao government had had anything to do with the order.
Dawood ‘Jittery’ in Early Phone Calls?
It was Manish Lala, the underworld don’s trusted aide – whom Dawood depended on for legal matters – who had set up Kumar’s phone conversations with the don. According to the HT report, Lala had been lodged in Arthur Road Jail when Kumar had met him. “Lala revealed that Dawood wanted to surrender to prove his innocence”, said Kumar.
According to Lala, Dawood tried to speak to some of the top cops in Mumbai but his overture remained unanswered, therefore if I had a word with Dawood, he might come back to surrender. Lala was hopeful. I spoke to my bosses about the situation who gave me the go-ahead.
– Neeraj Kumar to Hindustan Times
It was in early June 1994 that the first phone call had taken place, said Kumar. During the call, Dawood had come across as very edgy and jittery and claimed to have had no hand in the blasts – a claim that is widely unsupported by an avalanche of evidence against the don.
“Dawood was worried that his rivals may kill him if he would come back. I played along and told him that the CBI would take care of his safety if he were to return but before we could actually talk terms of surrender, my bosses in the CBI told me to back off,”
– Neeraj Kumar to Hindustan Times
Kumar also claims in the interview that the orders from his seniors – whom he refused to name – effectively put an end to the phone calls. The former DIG had to refrain from talking to Dawood after that since he no longer had clearance.
Reactions to Neeraj Kumar’s Claims
Former CBI director Vijay Rama Rao, according to a report in Times of India, said, “No such offer of surrender came from Dawood Ibrahim. If it’s the case, it was not brought to my knowledge.”
BJP leader Nalin Kohli meanwhile chose to sit on the fence, when he commented, “Let all the facts come out. Without the entire facts being known, it would be premature and incorrect to say anything.”
IBNLive also quotes Minister of State for Home Affairs, Kiren Rijiju as saying, “We cannot react as we don’t have any official information on Dawood Ibrahim.”
According to the report, CBI sources have said that there are no file notings to show that any offer of surrender had ever been made by Dawood.
Not Alone in Claiming Dawood Wanted to Surrender
Kumar, however, may rest easy knowing that he wasn’t the only one who claimed that Dawood wanted to surrender. Illustrious lawyer Ram Jethmalani has also gone on record to say that after the blasts Dawood Ibrahim had called him up, stating that he wanted to give himself up, but wanted assurances that the Mumbai police wouldn’t subject him to torture. The government, however, didn’t agree to a conditional arrest – according to the report in Hindustan Times.
Dawood Ibrahim is believed to be the mastermind behind the 1993 Mumbai blasts. The coordinated attacks were the most destructive ever witnessed in Indian history. A series of 13 bomb blasts ripped through the city killing 257 people and injuring over 700.
Neeraj Kumar, the-then CBI DIG, was leading the CBI probe into the blasts that rocked Mumbai on March 12, 1993. Kumar retired as the Delhi police commissioner in 2013.