Former assistant police inspector (API) Sunil Toke started a huge controversy on Wednesday by declaring his intention to hold a press conference against Commissioner of Police (CP) Vivek Phansalkar on Thursday (March 9). In a message posted on social media, he levelled certain allegations against Phansalkar pertaining to his term as the Thane CP from July 31, 2018 to May 17, 2021.
Phansalkar rubbishes allegations, calls them “blasphemous”
When contacted by the FPJ, Phansalkar rubbished the allegations, calling them “blasphemous”. He said Toke was sacked last month and that was the reason why he was making baseless allegations. However, Toke told the FPJ that he had levelled the charges first on January 9, whereas he was sacked on February 16. “My press conference has nothing to do with my dismissal,” he added.
Toke had earlier filed a public interest litigation through his lawyer Pradip Havnur in the Bombay High Court with a view to expose rampant corruption in the traffic police.
This is the second time a policeman of a lower rank had launched a tirade against the CP, who is the highest officer of the force. In the early 1980s, a constable Mohite had targeted the then commissioner Madhusudan Kasbekar.
Mumbai police in midst of several controversies
The Mumbai police force is, of late, in the midst of one controversy or the other. Corporate trainer Swapna Patkar has been waiting for the past several days for her FIR to be registered by Vakola police. She had received a call from the Pakistani mobile number threatening to drown her in acid.
Several months ago, a city builder, Kartick Bhatt, who was undertaking an SRA project in Chembur, had levelled extremely serious allegations against the then senior inspector of Chembur police station Shalini Sharma. But, no worthwhile action appears to be taken.
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