Cabinet split
According to political sources, while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar (NCP) wanted to wait for the ATS probe report, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was keen on effecting a major shake-up in the police force after the two cases became a major embarrassment for the state government.
Even as Mumbai Police was probing the matter, the Centre stepped in and abruptly handed over the SUV case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), while the Hiran death is being probed by Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS).
Since both the cases are directly linked with wider ramifications, the NIA is likely to also take over the Hiran death matter from the ATS, official sources revealed.