2 cops suspended for ‘assaulting’ woman at Ganpati pandal

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The Mumbai Police were left red-faced after a 29-second video clip went viral Sunday night purportedly showing three policewomen shoving and repeatedly slapping the woman near Lalbaug Cha Raja Ganpati pandal in central Mumbai, forcing an embarrassed force to order a probe into the incident.

The interim report was submitted by DCP Ashok Dudhe to the Mumbai Police chief Tuesday afternoon, following which constables Varsha Patil and Anuradha Solunke, who were attached with the Local Arms III unit of the Mumbai Police, were placed under suspension.

Dhudhe’s report was prepared after studying in detail the CCTV footage. The report has also factored in the statements given by other patrons present during the incident. The statements of the victim, her family members and the accused police officials were also recorded by the probe team.

“The women constables maintain that they did not start the fight and it was the victim who provoked them by abusing and kicking their senior. Since their senior was abused, they intervened and took action against her. However, they were not able to explain why they assaulted the victim at the Kalachowkie police station,” said the official who did not wish to be named.

“We have also received a statement of a devotee through email who claims to have been at the spot at the time of the incident. He has also corroborated the version given by the policewomen. His statement will be recorded during the detailed inquiry,” said the official.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti said the two constables were suspended after a probe by the police established their presence at the scene of the alleged assault as well as at the police station later. The police also found independent witnesses who saw them assault the victim.

“Whatever be the provocation or reason, assaulting the girl was misconduct on part of the constables. If she was trying to enter through the wrong gate, she should have been stopped. If she was misbehaving, she should have been taken to the police station and proper action should have been taken against her,” said Bharti, adding, “Our inquiries have also established that the two constables further assaulted the girl at the police station later.” The zonal DCP will soon submit a detailed inquiry report to Bharti, after which further action will be taken.

Meanwhile, the family said they narrated their ordeal in the statements given to the probe officer. The woman, Nandini Goswami, works as a background artiste in movies and had reportedly come to the pandal directly from a shoot.

According to them, when the policewomen first assaulted Nandini, her 65-year-old grandmother got separated in the chaos and she remained alone for more than four hours.

“I had just come down from our village in Kutch to visit my children and wanted to see Lalbaug Cha Raja. I remember Nandini felt uncomfortable coming to the pandal in shorts that night but her mother managed to convince her to join us. They (police constables) tore the clothes of my daughter (Nandini’s mother) and did not even allow her to pick up her dupatta… The last thing I remember before being separated is the embarrassment and shock on her face while she was being slapped. I was shoved and then I fell unconscious for some time. There was an unknown man, not one of the volunteers, who helped me sit up and gave me water.

I knew no one at the pandal and was afraid, I didn’t even have a watch on me to tell time, forget about a cellphone,” said the 65-year-old. She said she now regretted that she insisted on going to Lalbaug and wished to withdraw the case.

mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com