Woman seeking probe in spouse’s suicide detained at PM’s rally for creating ruckus

A 50-year-old woman, who allegedly wanted to give a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his rally in Sultanpur on Monday to request an inquiry against a former deputy commissioner of police (DCP), was detained by the police

A 50-year-old woman, who allegedly wanted to give a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his rally in Sultanpur on Monday to request an inquiry against a former deputy commissioner of police (DCP), was detained by the police and booked for obstructing and assaulting a public servant in discharge of public functions. She was later released on bail on Monday evening, police said.

Meenu Sharma(HT File Photo)

Meenu Sharma is the wife of deceased businessman Vinod Sharma, 59, who had succumbed to injuries on July 7, three days after he shot himself in the chest. At the time, his wife had alleged that a senior police official, then posted as a DCP in the city, had been blackmailing her husband and trying to extort money in a financial deal.

The said officer was transferred from the DCP post on August 2.

The victim’s family had demanded action against the officer. The case was subsequently transferred to the state crime branch in Faridabad.

Calling the probe by the crime branch an “eyewash”, Sharma, on Wednesday, said she wanted to hand a letter to the Prime Minister to demand a thorough probe against the officer, who, she said, was responsible for abetting her husband’s suicide.

“I reached the venue around 9am. The policemen stationed there told me to go to the guest house if I wanted to meet the Prime Minister. When I went to the guest house, I was told that the PM had left for the rally. So, I returned to Sultanpur. The police officers on duty restrained me and forced me to get inside a police vehicle. I started yelling and asked them to let me go,” Sharma said, adding that to break free she “bit a lady police official”, following which she was taken to the Farrukhnagar police station and booked.

A case has been registered against Sharma under sections 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of Indian Penal Code at Farrukhnagar police station on Monday.

Sharma alleged she was released on bail at 8pm and had to be admitted to the Civil Hospital since she had “sustained injuries when the police were dragging her” into the van.

A lady police official, privy to the matter, on the condition of anonymity, said the woman in question did not have security clearance and, as per protocol, was denied permission to go close to the stage.

The police official said, “The incident took place around 11.30am. When she started creating a ruckus and assaulted a police official, she was detained and taken to the police station. She was released on bail in the evening after a case was registered against her. We had tried to call her family members, but she was not revealing any contact details.”