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CRPF jawan allegedly assaulted, handcuffed at Baramati police station; inquiry initiated
The 28-year-old CRPF jawan, identified as Ashok Ingavale, alleged that he was assaulted and handcuffed by police officials, but the Pune rural police, in a statement, have denied allegations of any physical assault.
The Pune rural police have initiated an inquiry into the alleged assault of a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan at the Baramati taluka police station on Sunday.
The 28-year-old CRPF jawan, identified as Ashok Ingavale, alleged that he was assaulted and handcuffed by police officials, but the Pune rural police, in a statement, have denied allegations of any physical assault.
“He is undergoing medical tests and we will initiate an inquiry into the allegations,” said Sandeep Pakhale, additional superintendent of police, Pune rural police.
The tests are being conducted to ascertain the extent of his injuries and to verify whether he was under the influence of alcohol.
The CRPF jawan, on leave from his place of posting, said he was visiting the police station in order to seek permission to hold a protest rally against the terrorist attack on a CRPF convoy that claimed lives of at least 40 jawans in Pulwama on February 14.
A source in the know-how of the inquiry, on the condition of anonymity, stated that the jawan arrived at the police station riding a two-wheeler with two other men seated on it. When Ingavale entered the police station, he was questioned by police officials for riding triple-seat while in uniform, however, he started arguing with the policemen and used foul language, alleged the source.
The policemen, then, took him to an adjacent room where he started damaging chairs in rage. After the resultant fight, he walked to the lock-up and sat there himself, according to the source. “We have CCTV (closed circuit television) footage of him entering the lock-up,” the source added.
Ingavale, however, paints a different version of the incident. “I offered to pay the fine for riding triple-seat, but the officials did not listen to me. They further alleged that I was drunk. The police personnel, then, took me to a room where there was no CCTV. I was beaten up by 10 to 15 police personnel, my uniform was torn and I was handcuffed,” he alleged, adding that the policemen even abused him.
Ingawale denied that he was drunk. “There is no question of me being drunk because I have been working for the cause of alcohol de-addiction in the area. So, the allegations leveled by police are baseless and need to be investigated,” he said.
Ajit Pawar, former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra and a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), while addressing a rally in Baramati, said, “The jawans who are protecting us are being beaten up by the police. The law and order situation is questionable. If there is any truth to that news, I register my vehemently protest it,” he said.
(With agency inputs)
