Recounting the incident, 38-year-old said: "The cops told me that "if I was not black, I would have never asked to leave". I was celebrating my three-year-old son's birthday. They not only asked us to leave but forced us to cut the cake before time and ate it too."
A day after Arnala Coastal police's moral policing act came to light, the Nigerian national Stanley Akande — who was asked to leave the resort raided by policemen at Rajodi Beach in Virar West — described the entire episode as "racism".
Recounting the incident, 38-year-old said: "The cops told me that "if I was not black, I would have never asked to leave". I was celebrating my three-year-old son's birthday. They not only asked us to leave but forced us to cut the cake before time and ate it too."
"My son, Trevor, was born in India (Vasai). He is a premature baby, born in the sixth month of pregnancy, and has respiratory issues. He is undergoing treatment at a local hospital so we chose this resort to celebrate his birthday. However, everything went haywire when the policemen raided the resort suspecting to bust a rave party. Forget the racial discrimination, we were also beaten by the cops and local residents," he added.
Akande, who is a textile exporter, lives with his wife and son in Virar. For the party at Oasis Resort, they had invited around 30 guests. "The cops could find only one-and-a-half bottle of liquor worth Rs825. They frisked us for drugs but found nothing. We were forced to cut the cake — which was eaten by the cops — at around 11.15 pm. They did not allows us to arrange for taxis for our guests, who were forced to walk all the way," said Akande. dna had reported the incident on Wednesday.
It was only while leaving a senior police official told them the reason behind the raid. "While leaving an officer told me if we would have not been black they would have not asked us to leave. They were acting at the behest of the local residents," said Akande.
The guests at the part were eminent personalities from the Nigerian community and from well-to-do families settled in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Mira Road, Vasai and Virar, added Akande.
It was not only the Nigerians, who were treated like criminals by the police. An engineering student — identified as Rohit Patole (23) — was also rounded up by Arnala police. The resort belongs to his mother Mayur Patole (40), who is also a Karate trainer and a trained shooter. While the third accused Arjun Yadav (30) was a daily wage labourer, but the police showed him as waiter. The trio were arrested under sections of Bombay Prohibition Act.
"I was paraded inside the police station like a hardcore criminal and was treated as if we were doing an illegal business. We had just given the hall to the guests and I was studying in my room when locals barged in with the cops," said Rohit.
Despite several calls and messages to PSI Manoj Landge, PRO Palghar police department, he remained unavailable to comment over the incident.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Stanley")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}