Will Sachin Vaze’s Arrest Intensify Maharashtra’s Political Storm?

Mumbai Crime Branch Officer Sachin Vaze was arrested by the NIA on 13 March and suspended from service on 15 March.

(Image: Erum Gour/The Quint)

High profile Mumbai Police officer Sachin Vaze was suspended from service on Monday, 15 March as the investigation into the death of businessman Mansukh Hiren is carried out.

Vaze, who is no stranger to media attention, has come under the spotlight once again as he finds himself at the centre of growing storm involving a bomb scare outside the residence of India’s richest man, a murder mystery and an intensifying political crossfire.

The explosive-laden car that was found outside Antilla – the Ambani residence – belonged to Hiren, whose family has accused Vaze of murder.

As Vaze was arrested and now suspended, his proximity to the ruling-Shiv Sena has contributed to the increasingly bitter political fight between the ruling Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government and the BJP-led Opposition.

With new developments almost daily and a barrage of allegations and counter-allegations, several larger questions have come up. Could Vaze be involved in a conspiracy to kill Mansukh Hiren? Is the NCP-Shiv Sena-Congress coalition on the backfoot? How is the Opposition approaching this issue? And What happens next?