Two FIRs have been registered against 18 policemen attached to Bharati Vidyapeeth police station in Pune in Maharashtra on charges of custodial assault, illegal detention and publicly humiliating several people, including minors, accused in a murder case. This FIR has been registered on Thursday on the instructions of Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC). These cases have been registered on the complaints of CID DSP Sanket Satish Gosavi.
This action has been taken under the decision of MSHRC on September 9 and subsequent instructions given by the DGP of Maharashtra. On September 9, the Human Rights Commission had recommended registering an FIR against senior Pune Police officials for custodial torture, illegal detention and on July 21, tying minors violating the law to the bonnet of a police vehicle and taking them out in a public procession.
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Minors tied to the bonnet of the car with ropes
During this incident, three minors were tied with ropes to the bonnet of the police vehicle and they were taken out in a procession on the road from Ambegaon Pathar police post towards Bharati Vidyapeeth police station. These minors were detained in connection with a murder case registered at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station. According to the complaint, during this entire incident the policemen attacked the children with bamboo sticks and sticks. Inspector Mansingh Patil and other policemen identified the children through loudspeaker as the accused or murderers in the murder case. The complaint also states that during this public humiliation, the mother of the deceased even tried to attack one of the children.
Why was the second FIR registered?
In the fact-finding report of MSHRC prepared before the FIR, it was recorded that the statement of taking out a procession on the bonnet of the vehicle was confirmed by oral and electronic evidence. The Commission had taken suo motu cognizance of the incident after videos of it surfaced and were widely circulated. The second FIR pertains to allegations of illegal detention and assault of eight children in conflict with the law between July 20 and 24. The complaint alleges that the children were kept in police custody for more than the stipulated period and were produced before the Juvenile Justice Board only on July 25.
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Children attacked with bamboo sticks and sticks
The FIR states that the children were attacked with bamboo sticks and sticks while in custody. Although policemen prepared documents showing that some of them had been handed over to parents or relatives, CCTV footage and statements made before the commission indicated that they remained in police custody. Four of these children were publicly humiliated and beaten during the bonnet procession. The complaint states that the four children belonged to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community, due to which sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been invoked in the case.
Another FIR pertains to four adults arrested in the case related to Bharati Vidyapeeth police station. The complaint alleges that though the four had surrendered at the police station at around 3 pm on July 5, their arrest was formally recorded at 10.30 pm. All four were beaten with batons and sticks in police custody and later taken to a slum rehabilitation authority colony near Lake Town on July 7, where they were reportedly made to kneel, beaten and forced to apologize publicly.