Assault case: HC directs cops to submit CCTV footage of Awhad’s bungalow

The Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday directed the Thane police to submit the CCTV footage of state minister Jitendra Awhad’s bungalow before the Magistrate after

The Bombay high court (HC) on Thursday directed the Thane police to submit the CCTV footage of state minister Jitendra Awhad’s bungalow before the Magistrate after hearing a petition filed by a Thane-based civil engineer who alleged that the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader was behind an assault on him that took place on April 5. The petitioner Anant Karmuse, 40, alleged he was beaten up inside Awhad’s bungalow premises by 10-15 persons for posting a morphed photograph of the leader on social media for his stand against the call by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to have a candle light vigil on April 5 at 9pm to applaud the efforts of all those involved in the battle against Covid-19 pandemic.

HT Image

A single bench of justice GS Kulkarni has also asked the state to respond to the plea of the engineer seeking transfer of the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and posted the matter for hearing on April 30.

Karmuse, in his police complaint, said after he posted the morphed photograph of Awhad, two people in police uniform came to his house and asked him to accompany them to the police station. He alleged that instead of police station he was taken to Awhad’s bungalow in Thane, beaten up around 10 to 15 people and was made to apologise for the post.

On April 8, Thane police registered an FIR against “unidentified persons” under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for abduction, causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, rioting and intimidation in the matter. Five people were subsequently arrested by Vartak Nagar police.

After a brief hearing, Justice Kulkarni directed the police to secure the CCTV footage from Awhad’s residence of the day of incident and to submit it along with the call data record (CDR) of the NCP leader in a sealed cover to a magistrate in Thane and also sought a response from the state.