A Mumbai woman claims she was harassed by the police and forest officials who suspect her of smuggling beef while travelling from Goa.
A 54 year-old Mumbai woman travelling from Goa on a Laxmi bus was allegedly harassed after being suspected of carrying beef with her, reports Mumbai Mirror.
Sherry Pereira, who lives in Andheri has alleged in the report that she was grilled and harassed by the police at Kharepaten check post in Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra at 2 am on Sunday. She has maintained that she was carrying pork for her pregnant daughter. Her son-in-law has written to the state's chief minister, chief secretary, Director-General of police and several other top officials.
According to Pereira, she was travelling in the Laxmi bus with her 76 year-old mother and ailing brother when the police and forest officials stopped the bus post midnight. The cleaner of the bus told her that the police wanted to talk to her. They asked her what she was carrying in her bag to which she responded that it did not contain anything objectionable. The cop present accused her of carrying beef and started grilling her.
Pereira explained saying all she had in the bag was Goan pork chops and coconut oil. But the police refused to believe her.
An official claiming to be a forest police said that carrying any kind of meat in the area was illegal and threatened to throw her in jail and present her in court.
Pereira alleges that she was made to wait in a 'shady room'. The official later came back and demanded a bribe of Rs 2000. She claimed he resisted a bit after she told him that she was travelling with her family. He came back demanding Rs 500.
Pereira says she was scared and went to the bus to get the money, but claims the police had 'venomous' intention which they gave up when they realised she wasn't travelling alone. Pereira's son-in-law Ian Bannerjee has claimed that the police have been using the beef ban to extort and harass women and must be punished.
While the state police officials have promised investigation into the matter, the owner of Laxmi Travels has claimed that the police routinely harasses passengers at the check post. He claims the check post itself is illegal and that the police were earlier harassing the travellers claiming that they were smuggling liquor, now claim they use the beef ban excuse to do the same.
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