07 January,2017 01:50 PM IST | | Anurag Kamble
The team was escorting an accused when he manhandled an officer metres from a police station
It was a day of double jeopardy for cops attached to the Local Arms Division. First, a team escorting an accused to and from the JJ Hospital was manhandled and abused by the very accused just 50 meters away from a police station. To add insult to injury, however, when the team stepped into the police station to report the incident, not only were they made to wait for five hours, but ultimately asked to leave without registering a complaint. Instead, they just made a diary entry of the episode. Officials from both teams confirmed the incident, but the police denied trying to bury it.
What transpired?
Prakash Ashok Nikam alias Pakya (33), the accused in the 2014 shooting of builder Ajay Gosalia, was brought from Arthur Road Jail to JJ Hospital for some medical tests on December 30. After the tests, Pakya asked PSI Gargote - one of the Local Arms officers escorting him - to wait as his brother was bringing food for him. When Gargote refused to comply, Pakya lost his cool and went on the offensive, abusing and manhandling Gargote. He only stopped after he was restrained by other officers who then took him to JJ Marg Police station. Here, in an ironic turn, after waiting for five hours, the cops ultimately only made an entry in the diary. DCP (Zone-1) Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma said, "We made a diary entry, and are taking statements of the cops present at the time of incident. Based on the facts, we will take a call on registering the matter."
Blame game
The LA III officials said, "The cops did their duty of reporting the incident, but they (JJ Marg cops) made them wait, and finally made a diary entry," adding, "We have sought a report now."
