Cop threatens to plant drugs on protestors; where would he get them, asks oppn

Constable Pawan Sangale, a police driver transporting detainees rounded up at the Shivaji Park protest venue on Wednesday, faces a departmental inquiry

MUMBAI: A video clip of a Mumbai constable allegedly threatening young protestors, telling them he could plant narcotic drugs on them and implicate them in a fake drug case, has prompted swift action from the state government and police brass.

Constable Pawan Sangale

Constable Pawan Sangale, a police driver transporting detainees rounded up at the Shivaji Park protest venue on Wednesday, is facing a departmental inquiry. Posted with the Sion police and with the motor transport department, Sangale has also been transferred to the police control room pending the inquiry, said a senior official with the state home department.

The young protestors had assembled at Shivaji Park on Wednesday as part of the nation-wide agitation led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) calling for reforms in the education system and the resignation of the Union education minister.

In the video, Sangale is seen telling the detained protestors he would plant packets of drugs on them if they returned for further protests at Shivaji Park. “If I see you here again, it won’t end well for you. I will plant 50 grams of powder (drugs) on you, and your life will be over. You won’t get bail. We are already in trouble because of you people. Don’t come back,” Sangale tells two youths in the video. Hindustan Times could not independently verify the authenticity of the video clip.

“We are investigating a video that has surfaced on social media. At the same time, action was taken against the concerned police personnel and he was shifted from the police station where he was posted. He is also facing an investigation,” chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told the media on Thursday.

The video is being widely circulated since Wednesday night and has spiralled into a major controversy. It has embarrassed the Mumbai Police, struggling to explain away Sangale’s brazen threat. “We have handled the situation much better than others have, despite so many protestors coming to Shivaji Park every day, for the last six days. Some incidents do happen,” said a senior police officer.

“The driver has been removed from his present posting till the inquiry is completed,” said Akbar Pathan, deputy commissioner of police (Mumbai police operations).

Meanwhile, opposition parties have accused the police of intimidating protesting students, while some have questioned where Sangale would get the drugs to plant on protestors. NCP (SP) chief Supriya Sule said on social media, “It is utterly terrifying to criminalise the country’s young generation, who are fighting for their rights, and threaten to destroy their lives and careers by planting drugs in their pockets.”

State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal, who led a party delegation to meet the city and state police chiefs, remarked, “An inquiry should ascertain whether anyone was implicated in similar fabricated drug cases in the past. The police must also investigate how such personnel are able to access narcotic substances instead of acting against drug traffickers.”

MNS chief Raj Thackeray took a swipe at the police. “Have the police now become ‘powder-wallahs’ too?” he asked. Referring to the constable’s threat to plant drugs on the protestors, he added, “Does this mean the police now have access to such powder? Are the police acting as drug suppliers?”

Meanwhile, protests in support of the CJP agitation in Delhi continued across Mumbai on Thursday. “We detained around 150 people from Trombay, Sakinaka, Malwani, Dahisar, BKC, Goregaon, Charkop, Mankhurd, Sewri and Shivaji Park. Fresh cases were registered at the Chunabhatti and Wadala police stations, taking the total number of First Information Reports (FIRs) to 18,” said a police officer.

“We were supposed to gather on Friday as Aaditya Thackeray had called the ‘Hold the Tiranga’ and ‘Sing the National Anthem’ protests at 4 am. However, as both Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS leaders have now called a Tiranga march on Sunday at 10 am, we will gather for this,” said Samya Korde, state president, Progressive Students’ Union.