Navi Mumbai cop ‘spits’ on Dalit man, forces him to ‘lick’ shoes in police station; booked
The officer is said to have held a grudge against the Dalit man, who had complained to senior police officers about the hesitancy shown by officers of Kalamboli police station to register his complaint after he was duped in a cyber scam.
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The incident is said to have taken place on January 6 at Kalamboli police station. (Representational Photo) An assistant police inspector posted at Kalamboli police station in Navi Mumbai was booked on Thursday for assaulting a 28-year-old Dalit man inside the police station premises. The officer, Dinesh Patil, has also been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly hurling casteist abuses against the victim, Vikas Ujgare. Patil is alleged to have spat on Ujgare’s face and forced him to lick his shoes at the police station.
Patil is said to have held a grudge against Ujgare, who had complained to senior police officers about the hesitancy shown by officers of Kalamboli police station to register his complaint after he was duped in a cyber scam.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Ujgare said, “Around 8 pm on January 6, I was at a Chinese restaurant with my friend, who had a brawl with the restaurant owner. We were assaulted by the owner and I called up the Police Control Room. Soon, a team from Kalamboli Police station reached the spot.”
Ujgare added that as he was hurt, he asked the police officers to take him to a hospital but they refused. “After much pleading, the officers took me to a government hospital in Panvel. The doctors advised the police to take me to a different hospital. However, the officers took me to Kalamboli police station, where I was forced to sit on the floor. It was then that Patil came and started slapping me,” he said.
He added that the police identified him as the person who had complained against them.
“Holding a grudge, Patil started beating me on my face and neck. He then dragged me towards a room, where I was brutally assaulted. The officer then asked me about my caste… when I said I am a Dalit, he abused my caste and spat on me for belonging to a lower caste,” the 28-year-old said, adding that Patil forced him to lick his shoes.
He claimed that around 3 am on January 7, the Kalamboli police took him to MGM hospital in Kamothe, dropped him there and left.
Owing to the injuries he had sustained in the beating, Ujgare was in MGM hospital for three days. “Once I was discharged, I hired an advocate and lodged a complaint. My statement was recorded on January 14 by the zonal deputy commissioner and the assistant police commissioner,” Ujgare said.
But as there was a delay in registration of FIR, Ujgare approached the Navi Mumbai Police commissioner, following which a case was registered late Thursday.
When contacted, Senior Inspector Sanjay Patil of Kalamboli police station said that Dinesh Patil is on sick leave. “We have registered an FIR against the police officer and an assistant commissioner is conducting a probe,” he added.
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