The Mumbai police have penalised an assistant inspector for shrugging his responsibility and misguiding a complainant. The cop, who was posted with DB Marg police as a duty officer, had handed over a 'missing property' certificate to a woman after she approached him with a complaint about a mobile phone theft, which is a cognisable offence.
The Mumbai police have penalised an assistant inspector for shrugging his responsibility and misguiding a complainant. The cop, who was posted with DB Marg police as a duty officer, had handed over a 'missing property' certificate to a woman after she approached him with a complaint about a mobile phone theft, which is a cognisable offence.
Sanjay Sagvekar has been awarded with a fine of Rs1,000 for burking, said a senior police officer. Burking, as per the law, refers to refusal or disinterest to register a complaint. It also means diluting the seriousness of an issue to serve somebody's interest, or intimidating a complainant.
When the woman approached senior officers, a first information report (FIR) was then lodged after three months. Shockingly, the FIR mentioned the date of crime as the day when the offence was registered, and not the day when the woman had first approached Sagvekar.
On July 31, 2012, one Bridget Fernandes had visited the DB Marg police stating that her mobile phone had got stolen. Sagvekar, who was the duty officer, gave her a missing property certificate instead of registering a cognisable offence.
"The police showed in the FIR that the offence was registered on October 19, the day when the woman had approached the senior officers. For this negligence, senior inspector Suresh Hujband was given a stern warning and Sagvekar, who is now posted with the Protection and Security branch have been awarded with Rs 1000 fine," said a police officer.
Burking: Not just a term
As per the law, refusal or disinterest to register a complaint is called burking. It also means diluting the seriousness of an issue to serve somebody's interest, or intimidate the complainant. For example, registering a robbery case as theft.
Citizens and activists say burking is rampant in the force. In case of a cognisable offence, the police are required to register an FIR, which compels them to work towards solving the case. By passing off a cognisable offence as non-cognisable, they escape from the onus of cracking it.
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