New Delhi: The government had a special relationship with underworld don Chhota Rajan, said former Delhi Police commissioner Neeraj Kumar.

His statement came during a panel discussion on the inaugural day of the fourth edition of Delhi Literature Festival. The three-day festival got underway on Friday.

In a session titled "Bare it all", with journalist Avirook Sen, moderated by Madhu Trehan, the former Delhi Police chief, asked if there was a special relationship between the don and government, he said: "The short answer- yes there is".

As Trehan asked him whether its a speculation or fact, he said "its a fact".

Kumar's book "Dial D for Don", which was released last year, talks about his top operations, mostly related to the underworld and the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. He has also revealed that he had three long conversations with Mafia don Dawood Ibrahim on June 10, 20 and June 22, 1994, when he was investigating the 1993 serial blasts as a Central Bureau of Investigation official.

Kumar also said that all hopes must not be pinned on Chhota Rajan to get to Dawood. "I don't want to give away all secrets. But you are close to the truth. Let us not pin all our hopes on Chhota Rajan," he said.

Speaking about his book, he said the title of the book 'Dial D for Don' was based on the conversations with Dawood. "The name of my book is based on my conversations with Dawood. My seniors were always kept in the loop about the conversations. I don't do anything without my seniors knowledge… because there are so many agencies involved," he said.

The former police officer also spoke about some of the controversial cases in his career, including the Ansal Plaza shootout and the allegations that he had links with the underworld. (IANS)

(image credit: thehindu.com)