Two FIRs Registered Against Pune Police Personnel Over Custodial Assault, Illegal Detention Of Children

Pune: Two separate FIRs have been registered at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station against police personnel following findings of the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) in cases involving alleged custodial assault, illegal detention and public humiliation. Both complaints were filed by Sanket Satish Gosavi, Deputy Superintendent of Police with the Maharashtra Crime Investigation Department (CID), on September 24.

The first FIR, registered as Crime No. 482/2026, names 13 police personnel in connection with the alleged assault of four accused who had surrendered at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station in connection with Crime No. 363/2026.

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According to the complaint, the four accused surrendered at the police station at around 3 pm on July 5, 2026, but were formally arrested at around 10.30 pm. The MSHRC fact-finding report stated that the accused were allegedly assaulted with sticks and batons at the police station.

The four were produced before a magistrate on July 6 and remanded to police custody until July 9. The complaint further alleges that on July 7, at around 5.30 pm, the accused were taken to an SRA colony near Lake Town, where police allegedly made them kneel and walk on the road and assaulted them with sticks and batons. They were also allegedly forced to apologise publicly.

The complaint states that video footage and statements of police personnel who were allegedly present at the spot supported the allegations. It also points to the absence of corresponding entries in the general diary and police vehicle logbook regarding the July 7 visit.

The complaint further alleges that despite the alleged assault, the injuries were not properly recorded in the medical certificates of the accused. However, an injury to the middle finger of the right hand of one of the accused was reportedly mentioned in his body-search panchnama.

The police personnel named as accused in the first FIR are Senior Police Inspector Mansingh Patil; PSIs Anna Madhukar Darade and Nilesh Rajendra Mokashi; Police Head Constable Sunil Dada Hanwate; police constables Sagar Chandrakant Borge, Soham Kailas Shendkar, Rahul Ashok Aundhkar, Mitesh Dattatray Chormole, Ravindra Shankar Gaikwad and Sandeep Laxman Agale; PSI identified as Fakir; and police personnel identified as Sutar and Pawar.

The FIR has been registered under Sections 115(2), 127(2), 127(3), 131, 352, 351(2), 198 and 199 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. These provisions relate to offences including voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint or confinement, assault or criminal force, criminal intimidation, insult and alleged misconduct by public servants.

Second FIR Over Alleged Detention And Assault Of Eight Children

The second FIR, Crime No. 483/2026, concerns allegations relating to eight children in conflict with the law in connection with an earlier case, Crime No. 383/2026.

According to the complaint, children numbered one to four were allegedly taken into custody on July 20 and brought to the police station on July 21. Three more were allegedly brought to the police station at around 8.30 pm on July 21, while the eighth child was brought at around noon on July 22.

The eight children were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board on July 25. The complaint alleges that seven children were kept for more than three days, while the eighth was kept for more than 24 hours.

The FIR alleges that the children were assaulted with bamboo sticks and belts. It also alleges that police records were prepared to show that some of them had been handed over to their parents or guardians. The complaint refers to CCTV footage and statements made by the children before the Juvenile Justice Board.

It further alleges that some of the children were taken along a public road between the Ambegaon Pathar police outpost and Bharati Vidyapeeth police station, with a rope allegedly tied to a police vehicle, and were publicly paraded.

The complaint also alleges that the children were publicly identified as accused in the earlier case and that four of them were subjected to caste-based abuse and public humiliation.

The accused named in the second FIR are Senior Police Inspector Mansingh Patil, Ganesh Mohite, Snehal Thorat, PSI Nilesh Rajendra Mokashi, and police personnel Sunil Hanwate, Dinesh Tapke, Mitesh Chormole, Sagar Chandrakant Borge, Soham Kailas Shendkar, Mangesh Pawar and Suvarna Dattatray Bhise.

The second case invokes provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Both FIRs were registered following directions arising from the MSHRC's September 9 order and a subsequent order issued by the Maharashtra Director General of Police on September 11.

The investigation has been directed to be handled by an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) or above.