The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Thursday, November 18, shared two school certificates that purportedly belong to Sameer Wankhede, which mentioned his middle name as ‘Dawood’. The certificates from St. Joseph’s High School, Wadala, and St. Paul High School, Dadar issued to Sameer ‘Dawood’ Wankhede mention ‘Muslim’ in the religion field.

Countering the NCP’s claims, the Sameer Wankhede camp also put out some documents to support their claim that there was no wrongdoing on Sameer Wankhede’s part. A school leaving certificate of 1995 released by the camp mentions his name as Wankhede Sameer Dyandev and caste as ‘Mahar’.

NCP leader Nawab Malik, who has been hitting out at Sameer Wankhede since Aryan Khan’s arrest, has now alleged that the NCB officer is a Muslim.

Nawab Malik had earlier accused that Wankhede was born as a Muslim, but forged documents, including a caste certificate, to show that he belonged to the Hindu SC category to get a job under quota after clearing the UPSC examination. Nawab Malik had also shared a copy of Sameer Wankhede’s birth certificate, alleging that he used ‘forged’ documents to secure a job in the IRS.

In response to the Sameer Wankhede camp’s documents, Malik said that Sameer Wankhede is now putting out bogus certificates. “He is using computerised certificates. All of them are bogus. We have submitted the real certificates to the court and they are all documented. He is sure to lose his job now,” Malik said.

Sameer Wankhede later issued a statement, saying: “I would like to express that my father Sh. Dnyandev Kachruji Wankhede retired as a senior police inspector of the State Excise Department, Pune on 30.06.2007. My father is a Hindu and my mother, Late Mrs Zaheeda, was a Muslim.”

“I belong to a composite, multi-religious and secular family in true Indian tradition and I am proud of my heritage. Further, I married Dr Shabana Qureshi in 2006 in a civil marriage ceremony under the Special Marriage Act, 1954. Both of us divorced mutually through Civil Court under the Special Marriage Act in the year 2016. Later in the year 2017, I married Shiimati Kranti Dinanath Redkar,” the statement added.

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Zayed Qureshi, the father of NCB officer Sameer Wankhede’s ex-wife Dr Shabana Qureshi, also claimed that he is a practising Muslim who follows all rituals.

“Dawood Wankhede signed on the nikahnama and it was written in Urdu as well as English. Everyone knows the family as Muslims,” he said.

Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik had said that his focus was not raising the religion of Sameer Wankhede but exposing the fraudulent means by which the NCB officer obtained a caste certificate.