Although the Vishrambaug police have registered two separate cases against a group of young officers (YOs) from the College of Military Engineering (CME) who created a ruckus at Tilak Chowk near Alka Theatre on Tuesday night, the YOs are not likely to be arrested or produced in the civil court.
A defence spokesperson said, “The army has ordered a Court of Inquiry to investigate the incident. The concerned officers have been debarred from leaving CME premises. The HQ CME is in liaison with the local police authorities.’’ The defence spokesperson also alleged that it all began with the police personnel beating up the YOs after they inadvertently drove on Sambhaji Bridge in violation of the ban on entry of two-wheelers.
Deputy commissioner of police (Zone I), Dnyaneshwar Phadtare told DNA, “We have registered two complaints. We will investigate the cases and later send our report to the military police (CMP).’’
One of the two complaints has been filed by Sachin Hanchate, the cameraman of a Marathi news channel, who alleges that the CME YOs abused him, snatched his camera, stole the cassette of the shoot he had done and threatened him of dire consequences. A case under Indian Penal Code sections 395 (Punishment for dacoity), 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506(2) (Punishment for criminal intimidation) has been filed against CME YOs i.e. Captain V Advait, Lieutenants AB Pandit, Arjun Sood and about 30 to 40 other CME cadets on Hanchate’s complaint.
The other case has been filed under Indian Penal Code section 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 147 (punishment for rioting) for alleged involvement in assaulting police personnel on duty.
A complaint by the police said lady constables of traffic police Sunita Burud and Latika Mewari who were on duty at Alka Theatre chowk had intercepted a motorcycle for defying ban on two-wheelers on Sambhaji Bridge from 9 am to 9 pm. It alleged that the two CME officers astride the motorbike abused the police personnel when they demanded their driving licence and other documents. After they showed the documents, the complaint said the constables allowed them to go but then, one of the officers allegedly pushed a lady constable. The complaint added that traffic police constable Nitin Tapke, who saw it, accosted the YOs.
“When they told us that they are army officers, we decided to let them go. But they abused us and demanded to know our ranks. I asked them to enter the Sambhaji Pul police chowki. I also reminded them that we always maintain discipline when we enter army offices. But once inside the chowki, one of the officers punched me on my face. The two officers even abused my senior officers. We then asked them to call up their seniors. However, they summoned their colleagues and then, 30 to 40 officers in plain clothes, came marching to the police chowki. Then, the men whom we had caught, pointed towards me and said ‘Yahi Banda Hai’. The defence officers hit me and ransacked the police chowki,’’ he alleged. “They were very rough,’’ said Tapke who has sustained injury on his head and under his right eye.
However, the defence spokesperson, who termed the incident as ‘an unfortunate incident’, alleged that it all began after a policeman beat up Capt V Advait and Lt. AB Pandit.
The defence spokesperson conceded that the officers objected to the media persons trying to click photographs. He alleged that the media and locals started heckling and obstructing them while the police and CMP were trying to disperse the officers.
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