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Mumbai top cop releases clip to refute charge by Ranas
The Rana couple’s lawyer Rizwan Merchant issued a clarification, saying their complaint was not in reference to the Khar police station but related to their time at Santacruz police station
Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Pandey on Tuesday tweeted a 12-second video clip from a CCTV camera at Khar police station that shows policemen serving tea to Amaravati MP Navneet Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana, in response to the Lok Sabha member’s allegations that “basic human rights” were denied to her in police custody.
After Pandey posted the video on Tuesday afternoon, the Rana couple’s lawyer Rizwan Merchant issued a clarification, saying their complaint was not in reference to the Khar police station but related to Santacruz police station.
“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...” Merchant claimed.
The lawyer said police refused to serve water to Navneet Rana and also refused to let her use the washroom in Santacruz station.
In the post on Twitter, commissioner Pandey said: “Do we say anything more.” The couple was 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.
Navneet Rana had filed a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging ill-treatment.
Manjunath Shinge, deputy commissioner of police, (Zone 9), said that after completing formalities, the Rana couple was sent to Santacruz police station.
Commenting on commissioner Pandey’s tweet, general secretary of Congress’s state unit, Sachin Sawant, 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...”
