Dawood call logs: Allegations against Khadse need to be proved, says Rijiju

Panaji: Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has said the allegations that Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse has links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim need to be proved before any action is taken against him.

Aam Aadmi Party spokesperson Preeti Sharma Menon had last week alleged that Khadse had received several calls from the number of Dawood's wife, Mehjabeen Shaikh, between September 4, 2015 and April 5, 2016.

Read: Dawood call logs: Trouble mounts for Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse

"At this moment, it has only been alleged that Eknath Khadse has links with Dawood Ibrahim. The same has to be verified," Rijiju told reporters last evening on the sidelines of a programme in Vasco town.

"It is not that we will not take action against him but for doing that the same has to be proved," he added.

Read: Maha BJP minister Eknath Khadse denies being in touch with Dawood

Khadse, however, had dismissed the allegations that he had spoken to underworld don Dawood Ibrahim or that he had made or received calls on his cell phone from Dawood’s Pakistan residence. The minister said these allegations are "baseless" and the particular number was not in use for last one year. He had said someone had hacked into his phone and cloned his telephone number.

Mumbai Police on May 22 had stated that initial analysis of the cell phone number (belonging to Khadse) indicated that there were neither outgoing nor incoming calls from the number to that of the fugitive (Dawood) during the entire period of September 2015 to April 2016, as claimed by AAP.

Read: Dawood call logs: Probe on into 'new elements', says Mumbai police