02 March,2016 08:36 AM IST | | Chaitraly Deshmukh
A 28-year-old German woman was allegedly manhandled by a bakery shop owner on Saturday night in Pune
Pune: A 28-year-old German woman was allegedly manhandled by a bakery shop owner on Saturday night in Pune. But her problems didn't end there. She was made to run from pillar to post to get her complaint, filed as a non-cognizable offence, converted into an FIR.
The incident took place on Saturday at around 10.15 pm at Salunke Vihar Road when Kaira, a German national who has been in Pune from October last year on a tourist visa, reached her place in Kondhwa with her boyfriend Anuj Anilkumar Saxena (30), a psychiatrist, and was looking for space to park their motorcycle. "A man in a car behind us began honking fiercely. When we asked him to move along, he started cursing and abusing Anuj. We tried to explain why we were on the road, but he began assaulting Anuj," she said.
When she tried to intervene and stop the accused, identified as Edward, a bakery shop owner, he attacked her. "I tried to stop him but he manhandled me, pressed my neck and pushed me. I am not familiar with Indian law but I know that was manhandling. Later, Anuj approached Kondhwa police chowky and we assumed that they had filed an FIR. But when we got the copy of the complaint the next day we found that it was an NC.
This was upsetting and we again went to the cops, who asked us to call his superior, whose number was switched off. It's when I threatened the police of informing the media and the German embassy, that they converted our complaint into an FIR." added Kaira, who plans to stay in Pune till April.
Police says
Senior Inspector Rajendra Mokashi in-charge, Kondhwa police station, said they had no idea about Kaira being manhandling when they had registered the NC. "Initially, we had filed the NC based on Anuj's statement about the fight and we were not told about Kaira. On Monday, Kaira told us that she was manhandled and claimed it should be a case of molestation. But the case does not fit the IPC sections for molestation. We will soon arrest Edward who is on the run," said Mokashi.
Initially, the cops had filed an NC under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of IPC but in the FIR they added Sections 326 (Voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means), 352 (assault or criminal force otherwise than on grave provocation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
One of Edward's friends said, "We know Edward is not a person who will manhandle a woman. When the incident took place he was with his wife and children so he couldn't have molested the German woman."
