30 April,2011 07:14 AM IST | | Shiva Devnath
Enraged at being halted at a nakabandi, he assaults cops on duty, fractures an ASI's arm; wife claims that he reacted after cops called her 'barwali'
Sudarshan Shetty (30), son-in-law of Borivli MLA Gopal Shetty, allegedly manhandled and inflicted severe injuries on two policemen on duty in the wee hours of Friday, after they stopped the rickshaw in which he was travelling with his wife to Goregaon, during a nakabandi.
Sudarshan Shetty, son-in-law of Borivli MLA Gopal Shetty, allegedly manhandled and inflicted severe injuries on two policemen
When the police halted the vehicle, an irate and visibly inebriated Shetty entered into a scuffle with the two police officers on duty, Assistant Sub-Inspector Uttam Salunkhe and Constable Sharad Chowdhari. The brawl soon intensified, with Shetty assaulting the two cops. He twisted Salunkhe's arm, causing a fracture.
He punched the other constable with such force that he fell on the road. Ultimately, a group of six to eight policemen managed to overpower him.
On duty at a check point in Goregaon last night
He was then arrested. Shetty's family, however, levelled a counter allegation against the two cops on duty, claiming that they had passed derogatory comments about his wife, and had initiated the conflict by slapping him.
After the party
According to police, Shetty had gone for a party to Goregaon (East) with his wife. Due to his inebriated condition, he left his car at the venue and made way towards his Andheri residence in a rickshaw.
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When the couple reached the Prabhashi Industrial Estate at Goregaon (East), the police were in the process of conducting regular checks as part of a nakabandi.
Drunken scuffle
Senior Police Inspector Suresh Shinde said, "As part of regular procedure, the officials asked to see the rickshaw driver's papers.
But Shetty started grumbling that the police were harassing innocent rickshaw drivers instead of performing their duties properly.
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When the officials asked him to reserve his comments, he angrily threatened that they would lose their jobs, since he is an influential MLA's son-in-law."
He went on to say, "There was a heated argument. Seething with anger, he clenched ASI Salunkhe's arm and twisted it.
When Chowdhari tried to separate them, he was punched on his chest so forcefully that he fell. In his intoxicated state, he was hurling abuses at them. Soon, other policemen ran to the rescue of the injured constables.
They caught hold of Shetty and eventually overpowered him. Shetty went down fighting, but was finally arrested.
He was immediately taken for a medical checkup. Our officers were also taken to Bhagwati Hospital for medical treatment."
Medical reports revealed that Salunkhe had fractured his left hand and also sustained internal injuries on his chest.u00a0
Under the influence
Salunkhe, whose arm was fractured, said, "We never used foul language or demeaning words to describe his wife.
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They are churning out stories to escape punishment. He twisted my arm so badly that it was fractured. He was intoxicated and not in his right mind.
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He kept threatening us, claiming that he would use his connections with MLAs and other influential people to get me sacked."
Police have registered a case against Shetty for abuse and assault of policemen on duty. He has been remanded in police custody, and will be produced in court today.
The Other Side
While the police claimed that a drunken Shetty had abused and assaulted them for no reason, the family put forward a completely different sequence of events.
Speaking to MiD DAY, MLA Gopal Shetty, said, "If my son-in-law Sudarshan is really guilty, then police should continue their investigations. But if I learn that the police is making false allegations, I will find out the truth and fight on his behalf."
MiD DAY also conversed with Sudarshan's wife, Jyoti Shetty. She said, "My husband is completely innocent. When we reached the nakabandi, a policeman reached in and poked my husband in the face, asking him, 'Kahase aaay, kaun hain? Barwali ko leke kahan jaa raha hain itni raat ko?' We told him that we were from a decent family.
I informed him that I was the daughter of an MLA, asking him to be civil in his demeanour. But he refused to pay heed to our clarifications, and using foul language, said that he would not buy our old story about being the offspring of an MLA or MP."
She said, "When my husband told him to refrain from slighting me and using derogatory words, he slapped my husband. Soon another policeman joined the assault. My husband pushed them to save himself. He never twisted anyone's arm or roughed up any of them. Police are framing him for no reason."
Nakabandi norms
Here are a few tips on what to do when stopped at a nakabandi:
Dos
>> Stop at the nakabandi
>> Let the police check if you are under the influence of alcohol
>> Let the police carry out a search, if they wish to
>> Respond to the queries posed by the cops
>> Provide appropriate identification and ensure you are carryingu00a0 your driver's licence and registration papers when asked to
>> If the questions seem inappropriate, lodge a complaint at the local police station
>> Produce the papers and documents asked for.
Don'ts
>> Do not try to flee the spot
>> Do not pass snide remarks to evoke ire of cops on duty
>> Do not abuse or assault them, as you can be booked under non-bailable sections for assault of a government servant on duty
>> Do not drive through the barrier and speak in a smooth manner
Sequence of events
A few drinks later: After attending a party, Sudarshan Shetty and his wife took a rickshaw to return home as he had consumed alcohol at the party. His rickshaw was stopped at a nakabandi at Goregaon.
Boorish behaviour: The cops peered inside the rickshaw and assumed that the woman Jyoti Shetty in the rickshaw was a bar dancer and were allegedly rude to Shetty.
Karate Kid: Unable to tolerate the cops' behaviour, Shetty got out of the rickshaw and engaged in a scuffle with the officials. He fractured Assistant Sub-Inspector Salunkhe's arm and kicked Chowdhari in his chest. Illustrations/Jishu Dev Malakar
