Party-goers demand action against cops for excesses

A group of about 50 party-goers on Monday met district superintendent of police (Pune rural) Manoj Lohiya and complained about excesses allegedly being done by the police against party-goers during raids on various establishments.

The party-goers were apparently encouraged  by the transfer of assistant commissioner of police Vasant Dhoble from the social security branch of Mumbai police following allegations of moral policing,

Lohiya assured them that the allegations of police excesses against patrons of Maya Lounge, where a party was raided on September 1, will be looked into by a senior officer.
The party-goers were accompanied by businessman Tehsin Poonawalla, who has already submitted a petition to Lohiya seeking a probe into alleged police excesses during the raid on Maya Lounge.

At the meeting with Lohiya, a 26-year-old woman party-goer alleged that the policemen who raided Maya Lounge on September 1 had manhandled and molested her.
She pointed at an officer present in Lohiya’s office and alleged he had intimidated her and threatened to file a case against her. The officer promptly replied that he had warned her against obstructing policemen while discharging their duty.

A couple, which accompanied a youth caught during the raid on Maya Lounge. told DNA, “Is going to a party an offence? For eight months there were reports about Bollywood celebrities visiting Maya Lounge. After coming to know about these reports, our children went there.

“The police beat up my 28-year-old son and abused him. Despite being his parents, we have never treated him this way. What right did the policemen have to behave in such a manner? Such policemen must be suspended,” the agitated parents said.

High drama was witnessed at the beginning of the meeting when Tehsin Poonawalla and Lohiya had a heated argument. Lohiya asked Poonawalla to wait outside his office. He said he would talk to the victims directly. Poonawalla objected to that and maintained he would remain present when the victims were heard. However, the police officer stuck to his stand and made Tehsin wait outside.