Pune: Three police personnel attached to Vishrambaug Police Station, including a woman police sub-inspector, have been penalised after a departmental inquiry found that they allegedly turned an official investigation in a domestic violence case into a sightseeing trip to Satara.
Additional Commissioner of Police Rajesh Bansode ordered that the annual increments of Police Sub-Inspector Swarupa Naikwade, Police Constables Shrihari Patil and Komal Kamble be withheld for two years without cumulative effect. The action followed a complaint by the woman complainant, whose allegations were found to be valid during the inquiry.
According to the inquiry report, Naikwade was investigating a domestic violence case registered at Vishrambaug Police Station. On April 4, the three officers took the complainant to Satara to conduct a spot inspection.
However, instead of coordinating with the local police and carrying out a proper investigation, the officers allegedly spent time at a popular roadside dhaba before reaching Shahupuri Police Station at around 3.15 pm. The inquiry found that they did not question local residents or other relevant witnesses at the spot.
After completing the panchnama, the officers were expected to return to Pune. Instead, they allegedly visited Kaas Plateau and other tourist spots in the Satara region.
The complainant reportedly told the officers that her mother was unwell and alone at home and repeatedly requested that they return to Pune. Despite her requests, the officers allegedly continued their sightseeing. During the return journey, they also stopped at the residence of a woman police employee for dinner.
The team reached Pune only after 1 am. According to the inquiry, the officers initially tried to drop the complainant at Swargate. After she objected, they reportedly dropped her outside the Narayan Peth Police Chowky in the middle of the night instead of ensuring she reached her home safely.
The departmental inquiry concluded that the officers failed to carry out a proper investigation and treated the official visit as a leisure trip. It said their conduct reflected gross indiscipline, negligence, irresponsibility and dereliction of duty and had the potential to damage the image of the police force.
Based on these findings, Additional Commissioner of Police Rajesh Bansode imposed the departmental punishment of withholding the annual increments of all three officers for two years without cumulative effect.
