Top cop releases video to counter Rana claims

After Pandey posted the video on Tuesday afternoon, the Rana couple’s lawyer Rizwan Merchant issued a clarification, saying their complaint of “ill-treatment” was not in the Khar police station.

Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey on Tuesday tweeted a 12-second video clip from the CCTV camera at Khar police station that shows policemen serving tea to Amravati MP Navneet Kaur Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana, in response to the Lok Sabha member’s allegations of “ill-treatment” in police custody.

In a post on Twitter, Commissioner Pandey had released CCTV footage from Khar police station with the caption: “Do we say anything more.” (Sanjay Pandey Twitter)

After Pandey posted the video on Tuesday afternoon, the Rana couple’s lawyer Rizwan Merchant issued a clarification, saying their complaint of “ill-treatment” was not in reference to the Khar police station but related to Santacruz police station where the couple were taken past Saturday midnight.

Merchant said they were taken to Santacruz police station late in the night and were lodged in the lock up of the Santacruz police station till Sunday when they were produced before a holiday court. The lawyer claimed the police refused to serve water to Navneet Kaur and also refused to let her use the washroom during this period.

In a post on Twitter, Commissioner Pandey had released CCTV footage from Khar police station with the caption: “Do we say anything more.”

In the video, the Ranas are seen sitting in chairs and drinking tea with police officers at the station.

Rana’s lawyer was quoted by PTI saying: “I just want to clarify that the tweet of Sanjay Pandey sir is about the time spent by my client at the Khar police station after being arrested. The officers did offer tea, there is no doubt about it. But they (the Rana couple) were at the Khar police station till 1 AM. Approximately, after 1 AM, they (the Rana couple) were transferred to the lock-up of the Santacruz police station where they were detained for the rest of the night until they were produced before the court,” Merchant said.

Commenting on the police commissioner’s tweet, Sachin Sawant, General Secretary, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress committee, on Tuesday tweeted, “While giving remand on 24th April the words of Hon’ble Magistrate are... “Accused are produced before me at 12.30pm. They have no complaint against the police. Accused duly represented by counsel.”

The Ranas were arrested on Saturday evening on charges of promoting enmity and sedition, among others, for their insistence on chanting the Hanuman Chalisa outside chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s house “to remind the Shiv Sena leader of his Hindutva roots”. Later, the police also accused the Ranas of resisting arrest and charged them with obstructing public servants.

While Navneet Rana is presently lodged in Byculla women’s prison, Ravi Rana is lodged at the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai.

After the Bombay high court rejected the Rana couple’s request to cancel the second police case for obstructing public servants on Monday, it emerged that Navneet Rana has filed a complaint with Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla alleging “inhuman treatment” in police custody, prompting the Lok Sabha secretariat to seek a report from the Maharashtra government.

Manjunath Shinge, deputy commissioner of police, Zone 9, has denied the allegation of ill-treatment at the Santacruz police lock up and said the allegations were false. He said that after completing formalities and recording their statements, Rana couple was sent to Santacruz police station lock up (as Khar police station does not have one) shortly after midnight.

On Monday, the Bombay high court frowned at the couple’s insistence on chanting Hanuman Chalisa outside the chief minister’s house, saying “such type of a declaration is certainly in breach of the personal liberty of the other person and therefore the state is justified in carrying apprehension that such act will lead to disturbance in law and order situation.”

At a government event on Monday evening, chief minister Thackeray said: “If you want to recite Hanuman Chalisa at my home, do come. But approach with a proper method… if you want to visit by ‘dadagiri’ (bullying), Balasaheb (the late Shiv Sena founder and his father) taught us how to break that ‘dadagiri’.”