17 May,2011 06:10 AM IST | | Shiva Devnath
19-year-old's modesty was allegedly outraged, and her family assaulted, by the accused's kin after his car hit her. However, police only registered an NC, raising questions about other influences at play
Cops at Oshiwara Police Station have some explaining to do. When a 19 year-old girl reported at their office to lodge charges of molestation against a neighbour, they only agreed to register a non-cognisable offense against the accused. Dinesh Keshwani, a resident of Oshiwara, was entering his society in his car, when he hit Rinkita Sheth (name changed), who was emerging from her residence with a friend. That Keshwani has close associations with the rich and powerful was indicated by the fact that his car had a beacon mounted on it.
Victim: Rinkita Sheth
When Rinkita reacted, Keshwani got out of the car and allegedly abused her. An infuriated Rinkita retaliated, enraging Keshwani, who proceeded to molest her and assault her, along with a relative. When Rinkita's family emerged to support her, Keshwani's family too congregated at the entrance. They allegedly assaulted Rinkita, her mother, and brother. After this violent scuffle between the two families, Sheth's family went to the Oshiwara Police, who only agreed to register a non-cognisable offence against Keshwani, thereby ensuring that the accused escapes arrest.
Her side
Speaking to MiD DAY, Rinkita said, "When I came downstairs, Keshwani's car, which has a beacon, was entering the building. He was driving carelessly, and hit me by accident. When I reacted, he emerged from his car and started abusing me. When the argument heated up, he tried to disrobe me. Outraged and alarmed, I started shouting. My brother and mother ran down to my rescue. Keshwani, along with his brother-in-law Gautam Kant, began inflicting blows, slapping and kicking us. Even their wives joined the scuffle and assaulted us."
She added, "We went to the Oshiwara Police Station to register a complaint. Soon, Keshwani arrived with a few local politicians in tow. The police only registered a non- cognisable complaint against them, not saying anything at all. They refused to answer our questions and asked us to take the matter to court."
Rinkita's mother also levelled other charges against Keshwani's wife Aruna, who is the proprietor of the firm Sai Financial Service India Private Limited. She claimed that her son was an employee in the firm, entitled to a salary of Rs 25,000, which had not been paid to him. The cheque given by Aruna to Rinkita's brother had allegedly bounced. At the Oshiwara Police Station, Senior Police Inspector Dilip Rupwate denied this reporter entry, even after an hour-long wait. Additional Commissioner of Police Amitabh Gupta said, "I will look into the matter."
The Other Side
Keshwani said, "They hit my wife, and that is something I refuse to tolerate. We have medical reports to prove our allegations and we have filed a complaint." However, he refrained from commenting on the sequence of events that led to the alleged assault on his wife. Keshwani denied that the victim's brother was his employee. "He is not an employee. I never issued any offer letter or cheque in his name. In fact, a cheque was stolen from my office," he said.
