Inquiry against traffic cop whose wife alleges neglect

The Mumbai traffic police have initiated inquiry against a traffic constable after his wife approached his seniors and alleged that he was neglecting/harassing her. It was last week that the wife of the constable, who is attached to Borivli traffic division, approached Pratap Dighavkar, deputy commissioner of police (traffic).

She was allegedly undergoing treatment at a hospital in the northern suburbs for kidney failure due to heavy diabetes. The woman, who had earlier approached the State Women's Rights Commission in this regard, told Dighavkar that her husband had not paid for her treatment while she was in the hospital.

State commission for women chairperson Susieben Shah said: "The traffic constable's wife had approached us stating that her husband was harassing her and was not paying for her treatment. Her condition was serious. We asked her to immediately approach the deputy police commissioner (traffic) Pratap Dighavkar, who assured us he would look into the matter."

Confirming the incident, Dighavkar said: "There was some misunderstanding between the couple. After she approached us, we took her in a govt vehicle and got her admitted to a hospital where she's being treated now. Based on her complaint, we have initiated an inquiry against the constable and will call him to get his version as well. The woman is suffering from diabetes due to which her kidneys collapsed. Our first priority was to see that she got proper treatment immediately."

Dighavkar, however, refused to divulge the name of the constable or his wife, saying that an inquiry had been initiated and hence he would not reveal any names.