Mumbai : Two people have alleged that constables and senior officers assaulted and falsely implicated them when they visited a police station to find information about an FIR filed by them. An inquiry has been ordered into the same by department heads. But the police have a different version. They say that the complainant was in an inebriated condition and abused the police officers.
The complainant, Anil Rajpal, is a resident of RAC Barracks in Chembur. On October 21, he approached the Chembur Police to file an FIR about a robbery in his house. He informed the police that the thieves broke into his elder brother’s room and stole three expensive mobile phones. The police registered the FIR and began an investigation into the same.
Around a month after the incident, on December 4, Sunil Sonwalkar, a police sub-inspector of Chembur police station, allegedly called Anil’s nephew, Mahesh Rajpal, around 12.30 am informing that they had seized some mobile phones from a thief. He asked them to visit the police station immediately and identify those that belonged to them. Mahesh, accompanied by Anil, visited the police station and was informed that Sonwalkar was having dinner and they would have to wait to meet him. After waiting for half an hour, Anil has alleged that Sonwalkar met them in a drunken state and allegedly abused them. When the Rajpals questioned his behaviour, Sonwalkar allegedly got angry and started assaulting them. Anil further alleges that Sonwalkar asked the constables present to book both the Rajpals under Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of the Indian Penal Code. He further alleges that they were made to pay a fine of Rs 1,250 before being released.
While the complainants are preparing to approach the Commissioner of Police regarding the same, an inquiry was ordered into the matter by Sangramsingh Nishandar, DCP, Zone 6. Nishandar has informed that the allegations are false and the officer is being falsely charged. “The preliminary information differs from what is stated above. The complainant allegedly visited the police station on his own. The evidence and CCTV footage recorded of the night shows him to be in a drunken state. We got a medical test done on him which showed no injuries. It also recorded him to be drunk. Our CCTV footage is clear and is being looked at,” he said.
