Palghar cop forces women to do sit-ups, transferred

An assistant sub-inspector from Palghar’s Satpati Coastal police station, Jyaneshwar Sawant, was transferred to the Palghar control room on Thursday for forcing

An assistant sub-inspector from Palghar’s Satpati Coastal police station, Jyaneshwar Sawant, was transferred to the Palghar control room on Thursday for forcing women fishmongers to do sit-ups as punishment for violating lockdown.

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A video to this effect was being circulated on social media, which forced API Jitendra Thakur to transfer Sawant.

The video clip shows Sawant forcing the women fishmongers, who were drenched to their bones after they came ashore with freshly caught clams and shellfish near the shallow waters of the coast, to do sit-ups, causing the women embarrassment. Some men were also in the group who had gone to catch clams and small fish.

As soon as they were walking to their homes in their wet clothes, Sawant stopped them and told them they had violated lockdown and did not maintain social distancing, so as a punishment, he forced the women and men to do sit-ups while Sawant recorded the entire incident.

As fishing activities are stopped, fishmongers, especially women, enter the shallow waters to catch small fish like clams and shellfish for home consumption. This action by the police officer resulted in his transfer to the Palghar control room, said API Thakur. “We are investigating who circulated the video on social media, and we will book the accused,” Thakur added.

The entire incident is now being investigated by Vilas Naik, deputy superintendent of police, Palghar as it showed the police in a poor light.