Pradhyumn’s lawyer alleges assault by Delhi cops, police say he was in PM’s route
His wife, Mamta, alleged that the policemen brandished guns while “assaulting” him even as they allegedly referred to the Pradhyumn case he has been handling.
Sushil Tekriwal—the lawyer fighting the case of Pradhyumn Thakur, the seven-year-old boy killed in Ryan International School Bhondsi, Gurgaon —was allegedly assaulted by three policemen in uniform outside The Ashok hotel in Chanakyapuri on Saturday evening.
His wife, Mamta, alleged that the policemen brandished guns while “assaulting” him even as they allegedly referred to the Pradhyumn case he has been handling.
But the police dismissed his allegations and accused him of intruding into a VVIP route. The prime minister’s cavalcade was passing by around that time, they said.
“The policemen at the spot were doing their job professionally. The policemen requested him to stop for a brief while but he refused to oblige. His allegations are bereft of truth,” said Dependra Pathak, Delhi Police’s chief spokesperson.
According to Tekriwal’s wife, Mamta, the family was returning after dinner to their car parked opposite the hotel around 8.30 pm on Saturday when three policemen in uniform approached them and allegedly started misbehaving with the lawyer.
“They asked my husband if he was fighting Pradhyumn’s case. They said my husband was trying to act smart,” Mamta alleged. “When my husband questioned their behaviour, they took out their gun and started assaulting him. I took out my mobile phone and began recording them, but one of them tried to snatch my phone and I fell down,” Mamta said.
She said one of the policemen dragged her some distance before all of them fled the spot. The family dialled the PCR, but not only did they receive a “delayed response”, the policemen also allegedly refused to help, she said.
But police refuted these allegations and said no physical force was used.
“None of the policemen on that VIP route knew who the man was. Even if they got to know his name, there was no reason they would know of his profession or the case he was handling. He himself began mentioning his name and the case he was associated with,” said BK Singh, DCP (New Delhi).
No case was registered when this report was filed.