NCP-SP Working President and Baramati MP Supriya Sule on Thursday urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state's Home Minister, to review the situation of the police department. This comes after a police constable was brutally assaulted by four intoxicated individuals near Ratna Hospital on Senapati Bapat Road in Pune. Despite the severity of the incident, police officials allegedly delayed registering an FIR due to political pressure. Reportedly, the case only moved forward after Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar intervened, leading to the arrest of the accused three days after the incident.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Sule wrote in Marathi, "The (Pune Police) Commissioner had to intervene to register a case against those who beat up a police officer. A case was not registered against those who beat up their colleague. There is a reluctance to bring the accused to justice. If this is the situation (of the police), what about the common people? The Home Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) needs to urgently review what is going on in the police department. The safety of citizens as well as policemen is necessary."
The victim, police constable Chandrakant Jadhav (42), attached to the Sahakarnagar Police Station, was returning home around 1am on February 15 after a combing operation. Near his residence in Ramoshiwadi, he noticed a group of men creating a commotion and questioned them. This led to an altercation where Aniket Ghodke, Abhi Dongre, Rupesh Manjrekar and Aniket Chavan brutally assaulted him.
When Jadhav approached Chatuhshringi Police Station on February 16, officers allegedly refused to register a case. The police reportedly pressured him to compromise. Despite providing CCTV footage and names of the attackers, police did not act. However, as the case gained attention, Commissioner Amitesh Kumar ordered them to file an FIR on February 18. Later, the four accused were arrested and remanded to police custody.
According to the police, "Jadhav was returning home at night. As he passed Ratna Hospital, he noticed four individuals consuming alcohol inside an autorickshaw and creating a ruckus. When Jadhav confronted them, they became aggressive. 'We know you're a cop, but not from here, so don't try to lecture us,' they reportedly warned before dragging him into the rickshaw and assaulting him."
Police sources say that the attackers even attempted to kill Jadhav by hitting his head with a stone. After managing to escape, he captured photos of the attackers on his mobile phone, which they later snatched from him. The video of this incident has gone viral on social media.
