Nagpur cops booked for parading semi-nude minors as bystanders made videos

The minors had been apprehended after they had indulged in violence and robbery at a pub in Nagpur city.

A Nagpur police team has landed in trouble for parading a group of semi-naked minors with criminal record in the city recently. Senior police inspector Khushal Tijare, sub-inspector Vijay Dhumal and five constables of detection branch wing of Jaripatka police station in north Nagpur were booked under relevant sections of Juvenile Justice Act on Friday for exposing the identity of minors, parading them in semi-nude state on a busy road and assaulting them.

The Maharashtra cops were booked after the Nagpur commissioner of police, Amitesh Kumar ordered a probe into the incident (HT Photo)

Five minors armed with swords and other weapons had gone berserk inside a bar, where they were consuming alcohol at Jaripatka on September 23 after an argument with the owner of the bar, Sanjay Patil and waiters. The teenagers also robbed some cash from Patil before leaving. The entire incident was captured on CCTV. A team of police officials under Tijare acted swiftly on the police complaint lodged by Patil and nabbed the accused from an eatery at Patanswangi in Nagpur district the next day.

Shockingly, all the five boys were paraded in a semi-nude state through a busy road while being brought to the police station. A crowd gathered at the location and cheered and captured videos of the police personnel’s move. Videos of the incident have gone viral on social media, with police personnel getting lauded and slammed in equal measure for their move.

In the videos, the minors can be seen being paraded in their undergarments with their hands tied with ropes. Some constables even caned the minors as they marched through the busy street, with people filming them on their mobile phones. The cops also did not allow the minors to wear masks despite a spate of corona cases in Nagpur city.

The families of three minors filed complaints against the police personnel. Following the intervention of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), a second medical examination of the minors was conducted at the Government Medical College and Hospital which revealed injuries from caning.

When the entire episode was brought before the notice of Nagpur commissioner of police Amitesh Kumar, he immediately ordered an inquiry through the assistant commissioner Parshuram Karyakarta and sought an early report.

The additional commissioner of police (Addl CP), Navin Reddy said the police personnel were booked after completion of his inquiry. The department is conducting further investigation into the incident and appropriate action would be taken against the police personnel, he added.