Congress demands answers from Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh over Mumbai visit of Dawood's wife

NEW DELHI: The Congress today demanded answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh over the reported Mumbai visit of Dawood Ibrahim's wife and asked why no action was taken against her by the government. 

Underworld don Dawood's wife Mehajabin Shaikh had visited Mumbai to meet her father last year, police officials had said yesterday, quoting the fugitive gangster's brother Iqbal Kaskar, who has been held by the Thane police in an extortion case. 

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala said it was unfortunate that Dawood's wife came to meet her father in Mumbai in 2016 and the Modi government and its agencies "kept sleeping". 

"This is such a shocking revelation made by the Thane police that the Prime Minister, Home Minister and Defence Minister should answer," he said. 

Surjewala questioned why the wife of the terrorist was not arrested and why no action was taken against her. 

"Congress demands that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh apprise the nation about the national security failure and circumstances in which the wife of a dreaded terrorist entered and left India with complete ease, without being questioned or detained. 

"Let the PM state as to what responsibility has been fixed and what action would be taken," he said in a statement. 

Surjewala claimed that this was "complete



complacency and intelligence failure" on the part the central and state governments. 

He accused the BJP of compromising national security in the past by actions like the release of Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar and Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. 

Another Congress leader Rajeev Shukla, while referring to reports that the underworld don's wife visited Mumbai, also demanded answers from the Centre and the Maharashtra government. 

"There are reports that Dawood's wife Mehajabin Sheikh had come to India last year and returned quietly after staying in Mumbai for 15 days," he said. 

Shukla said that at a time when the country was fighting against terror, the wife of a terrorist visited the country for a fortnight and thereafter returned without anybody being aware of her visit. 

"This is a serious matter and the Mumbai police, the Maharashtra government and the central government should answer," he said. 

Kaskar, arrested by the Anti-Extortion Cell of the Thane police earlier this week, has given some vital information about Dawood and his family, the police officials had said. 

Police claimed that Kaskar told them that Mehajabin came to Mumbai some time last year to meet her father Salim Kashmiri, who lives in Mumbai with his family. 

After meeting Kashmiri and his family members, Mehajabin quietly left the country, they said.