Two lawyers assaulted at Antop Hill police station, Inspector transferred

The alleged assault took place on Thursday evening after one of the lawyers, identified as Sadana Yadav, reported an incident at the Mumbai police control room.

Her colleague and lawyer Harikesh Sharma said, “We have our office at Wadala (east) and there are two people in the locality who would close the door after she would go to the common washroom. They would then knock on the door from outside. As she was tired of the mischief, she initially contacted the administrator of the locality but as he refused to help, Yadav then dialled the Mumbai police control room and lodged a complaint.”

Following her complaint to the control room, a team from Antop Hill police station went to the spot after which Yadav and the two alleged miscreants were taken to the police station.

Sharma, who was on the spot at the time, also went to the police station separately. “We tried explaining our grievances to them but the station house officer was not ready to lodge a complaint,” he said, adding, “We were then taken inside the cabin of senior police inspector Nasir Kulkarni after which there was some argument there and subsequently some lady constables pulled Yadav outside the cabin and dragged her inside a neighbouring room where she was brutally assaulted.”

Sharma was also taken to another room, where he was beaten by the policemen. “Senior police inspector Kulkarni has also assaulted them. Belt was used to assault both of them and Yadav is admitted to Sion hospital as her leg fractured in the assault,” said Ravi Jadhav, president of All India Federation of Advocates and Associations.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Pravin Munde (Zone IV) said subsequently, “We have initiated an inquiry into the matter and are trying to ascertain the facts of the incident.”

The incident comes a fortnight after three policemen from Samta Nagar police station were suspended for allegedly assaulting two doctors with a belt and extorting Rs 25,000 from them.

In March this year, an inquiry was ordered against Assistant Police Inspector Hemant Gite following allegations that he slapped a lawyer at Borivali Metropolitan Magistrate Court. The incident had led to protests from lawyers.