Mumbai: Rogue cop manhandles mid-day reporter in public, threatens to frame him

API Satish Wayal who assaulted mid-day’s correspondent (left) Wayal’s private car with a policeman’s cap on the dashboard in Borivli, on Saturday. Pics/Shirish Vaktania

Drunk on power, a cop from Kurar police station turned into a ruffian when a mid-day correspondent took photos of his private car parked on a busy road blocking a senior citizen's vehicle in Borivli. "Tere upar main chori ka case banaunga… tum reporters log extortionist hota hai…tum meri gaadi par watch rakhta hai…chal tu [Borivli] police station," screamed API Satish Wayal before hauling the correspondent by the collar to Borivli police station. He beat a retreat and apologised after a top cop intervened.

API Wayal didn't care a fig about the potential damage he would be doing to the image of the well-respected Mumbai police. He also tried to snatch the mid-day correspondent's mobile phone despite being shown his press card. The drama involving Wayal's highhandedness unfolded on Gulmohar Road on the afternoon on Saturday. The busy road has pay and park option. However, Wayal illegally parked his private car bearing registration number MH21BO8294 and left behind his police cap on its dashboard - he later claimed he had been to the Borivli court.

mid-day correspondent Shirish Vaktania, who was present at the spot, saw chaos near the pay and park area close to a popular cake shop. Wayal's car had blocked the vehicle of a senior citizen couple and they were requesting the parking attendant to get Wayal's car removed. The parking attendant, perhaps intimidated by the ‘police cap', kept requesting them to wait till the car owner returned.

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A woman cop named Mane was present at the spot but did nothing to help the elderly couple

Guided by his journalistic instincts, Vaktania clicked a few photographs of the illegally parked car. He also saw a woman cop named Mane doing nothing to help the elderly couple, who waited for nearly an hour under the sun. The moment Wayal arrived at the spot, Mane was quick to snitch that a person had taken photographs of his car. That was enough to send Wayal on a power trip. Wayal grabbed Vaktania's neck and tried to snatch his cellphone. He screamed his lungs out and manhandled Vaktania giving two hoots to the latter's explanation that he was a media person.

Vaktania also told Wayal that he was waiting for his colleague Diwakar Sharma as both were to work on an official assignment. When Sharma reached the spot and tried to reason with Wayal, the API was in no mood to stop abusing his position. He forced Vaktania to start his bike and take him to Borivli police station. On their way, Wayal tried to snatch Vaktania's cellphone. He threatened him, "Tere upar main chori ka case banaunga… tum reporters log extortionist hote hain…tum meri gaadi par watch rakhta hai…chal tu [Borivli] police station, tere upar kaisa case banata hu aaj…dekh tu…."

At the police station

Once at Borivli police station, Wayal dragged Vaktania to duty officer sub-inspector Kalyan Patil. Wayal said he had parked his car on the road as he had to produce one accused in court. However, why Wayal chose to bring an accused in his own private Hyundai car is another issue that might even invite a departmental inquiry.

Meanwhile, Sharma reached the police station and saw Patil and his subordinates interrogating Vaktania and trying to force him to delete the photographs from his cellphone. When Sharma asked why the cops were misusing their power, Wayal and Patil asked him to wait outside. But Sharma stayed put. "Tumlog extortion karta hai… case banaunga abhi…ruko," Wayal told mid-day correspondents.

Top cop's help sought

Sensing that Wayal and Patil might frame them, Sharma tried to contact the zonal deputy commissioner of police Vishal Thakur but he did not respond to the call. Sharma then called Additional Commissioner of Police (North Region) Virendra Mishra and informed him about the deplorable conduct of the two officers.

After listening to the grievance on phone, the additional CP (North) assured help. When they learnt that a top officer had been briefed about their high-handedness, the two rogue cops dropped their violent behaviour and became silent. Within minutes, DCP Thakur arrived and met mid-day's correspondents. API Wayal was then forced to tender an apology. mid-day correspondents urged API Wayal ‘not to misuse his official power'.

DCP Thakur tried to persuade mid-day correspondents not to publish anything related to the incident and said, "Such conflicts between reporter and policeman do take place but we need to resolve the matter." "See, API Wayal is attached to Kurar police station which is not in my jurisdiction. Previously, he was in Gorai police station and I did not receive any complaint against him. But I am going to apprise my counterpart [DCP Zone 12] for disciplinary action against him….," DCP Thakur said.