Mumbai: Maharashtra government on Thursday suspended IPS officer Param Bir Singh and a deputy commissioner of police-rank officer against whom FIRs were registered in connection with charges of extortion.

The order to suspend Singh (59), a 1988-batch IPS officer and former Mumbai police commissioner, was approved the day chief minister Uddhav Thackeray was discharged from a private hospital here after undergoing a spine surgery on November 12.

The suspension order also mentioned that the government has initiated disciplinary proceedings against him over certain irregularities and lapses including unauthorised absence from duty, an official said.

Singh did not show up in the past six months after being appointed Maharashtra Home Guard chief, sources said. The leave granted to him on health grounds was till August 29, but even after that he failed to join duty, they added.

Singh had in March levelled allegations of corruption and misuse of official position against then state home minister Anil Deshmukh after he was shunted from the post of the Mumbai police commissioner in the aftermath of Antilia bomb scare incident.

He had accused Deshmukh of asking police officers to collect Rs 100 crore a month from restaurants and bars in Mumbai, a charge which the NCP leader denied.

The inquiry commission looking into these allegations had directed Singh to appear to record his statement, but the IPS officer, who was virtually incommunicado since May, turned up before it only last month.

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As per the suspension order, during the period of suspension, Singh would be paid subsistence allowance, dearness allowance and other allowances as admissible under Rule 4 of All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1969, on production of certificate that he is not engaged in any other employment, business, profession or vocation.

The order also said that during the period he should not leave his headquarter, the office of DG Home Guard, without permission of the state Director General of Police.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Parag Manere has also been placed under suspension, the official said. During the period of Manere's suspension his headquarter will be Nagpur SP office and he will not able to leave it sans permission.

A report containing details of specific charges against each officer was sent from the DGP's office to the Maharashtra Home Department recently after which the suspension process began, sources said.

The decision to suspend Singh and Manere was taken after their names featured in a couple of places in the report in connection with the extortion charges. As they are senior officers, the proposal went to the chief minister, who took the final call, the sources said.

Maharashtra DGP Sanjay Pandey had in September proposed to the state home department that 25 officers including Param Bir Singh, four DCP-rank officers and several ACP-rank officers booked on charges of extortion in five FIRs be suspended.

Singh had been named in extortion and atrocity cases and at least four FIRs were registered against him, the official said.

His suspension will be in place with immediate effect and has been done based on the letters of Pandey on August 12 and November 3 this year, the official said. The action has been taken as per the All-India Services (discipline and appeal) Rules 1969, he added.

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