MLAs booked for assaulting traffic cop

His assault outside the cabin of Legislative Council Speaker Vasant Davkhare’s cabin came a day after Suryavanshi had stopped and fined a speeding vehicle on the sealink in which MLA Thakur was travelling. Suryavanshi had been placed under suspension pending investigations into allegations that he had misbehaved with the MLA on Monday.

After Tuesday’s assault,the injured Suryanvanshi was admitted to St George Hospital. He has given his statement about his assault to Marine Drive police.

“I was sitting outside the cabin when the MLA and his men started making provocative gestures. More than 10 men came to me and began hitting me. The men,who included Thakur and Ram Kadam,threw me to the floor and assaulted me,” said Suryavanshi.

“Yesterday,I was just doing my duty but the MLA threatened and abused me,” added Suryavanshi.

On Tuesday evening,Mumbai Police Commissioner Satyapal Singh said that at 9 am on Tuesday,Vivek Phansalkar,Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic),received an SMS from Legislative Council Speaker Vasant Davkhare summoning Suryavanshi to his office. After the text message,Suryanvanshi and his senior,P S Kore,went to Vidhan Bhavan.

“On reaching there,they entered the cabin of Davkhare,where three MLAs were already seated,” said Singh. A few minutes later,Davkhare asked Kore and Suryavanshi to wait outside. “While the two officers were waiting,six men attacked Suryavanshi. He was rushed to St George Hospital,” added Singh.

According to Singh,Suryavanshi has identified two of his attackers,Thakur,who is the son of Vasai-Virar strongman Hitendra Thakur,and Kadam.

Suryavanshi,who stays at Sangli,was taken to J J Hospital for a CT scan based on which the Indian Penal Code sections would be applied. “We have requested for CCTV footage of Vidhan Bhavan to verify facts and fit in the sequence of events,” said Singh.

Singh had said Thakur was heading for the Vidhan Bhavan in the morning when Suryavanshi and seven other policemen conducting a drive against speeding at Bandra-Worli Sealink had noticed o the speed gun that a car was making 101 km per hour on the sealink where 50 kmph is the limit. “When the officer stopped the car,MLA Thakur had an argument with Suryavanshi. The officer took Thakur to the nearby Worli traffic chowkie,where Kore settled the matter,” said Singh.

“The MLA alleged Suryavanshi had abused him but the API said the MLA had begun abusing him and after a point,he had shot back abuses as well,” said an officer at Worli Chowkie.

After the assault on Tuesday,Director General of Police Sanjeev Dayal,besides Singh and other IPS officers met the chief minister to brief him about the incident.

The Crime Branch will probe the case. “We are contemplating whether to give the investigation to officers of unit 1 of the Crime Branch or form a separate team,” said Ambadas Pote,Deputy Commissioner of Police.