Maharashtra legislators who attacked police officer let off

Mumbai: A group of Maharashtra legislators who beat up a police officer within Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislative premises, last month were let off by a House Committee which ironically recommended a departmental inquiry against the cop.

Reading out the recommendation of the Committee, the Speaker, Dilip Walse Patil, today said the panel found the behaviour and language used by traffic sub-inspector Sachin Suryavanshi with Vasai legislator Kshitij Thakur on the Bandra Worli Sea Link on March 18 inappropriate. It therefore recommended a departmental inquiry against the policeman who was already suspended following the incident. He had asked the legislator to pay a fine for overspeeding on the Sea Link.

The panel said the policeman was indeed beaten up by legislators Thakur and Ram Kadam of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) on March 20 within the state assembly premises but found the nature of injuries not serious. Therefore, “their suspension should be revoked in the first week of next monsoon legislative session.” The panel also said it did not find proof of involvement of three MLAs Rajan Salvi, Shiv Sena, Pradeep Jaiswal, Independent and Jaykumar Raval, BJP, in the beating of the policeman. The panel recommended that their suspension be revoked in this session itself.

An FIR had been registered against Thakur and Kadam and others for assaulting Suryavanshi who was taken out of the assembly premises in a stretcher to the hospital. The legislators were arrested and later released on bail.

The panel suggested that the CCTV network in Vidhan Bhavan be upgraded and that a separate cell headed by the state chief secretary be set up to monitor and review conduct of government officials with elected representatives. “The cell should be accountable to the chief minister and deputy chief minister.”