Mantralaya Times News room
On 26th May 2016, at around 10.30pm, Anil Vishwakarma, a 30 year old mira rd resident, a social worker and employee of a private computer hardware firm was returning home on his bike. On highway near Rawalpada flyover he found a rickshaw that had met with an accident lying vacant on road without a driver.
In order to avoid accident and congestion on street, Anil immediately dialed the traffic police from his mobile with a noble intent to get the rickshaw removed. However only after his 4th call and wait of over 20 minutes, 2 traffic constables turned up, appreciated his work and went away. Meanwhile a few auto drivers also inquired with him and after few minutes, one of them turns up with 2 on duty Police Staff members of Dahisar police station- Shri Vijay Chavan and other in civil dress.
Unexpectedly, they charged Anil with false charges of attempting to rob tyres of rickshaw. To prove his innocence he showed his credentials of his association with NGO CRPC as VP Mumbai Region. The on duty Police instead took him to the police station and detained him for next 2+ hours, under the detection officer Shri Dalvi & P.C. Suryakant Tawde.
Not only he was frisked thoroughly but also his ID card and mobile were taken by the police. He was not allowed to speak with anyone neither he was allowed to sit as he kept standing throughout the ordeal. He was detained with petty criminals like pick pocketeers and drunkards. After a lot of request he was allowed to make one phone call. He immediately called Shri Darshan Soni – National President of C.R.P.C (Citizens Rights Protection Committee- a Mumbai based NGO for Human Rights) and informed him about his illegal detention. His phone was snatched by the police while he was updating Soni.
Soni immediately called the landline of the police station and identified Anil as his NGO member and assured police about his credentials. Soni informed the on duty officers that he would be compelled to rope in the higher ups if Anil is not released.
They assured Soni on phone and released Anil. However they hid the fact from Anil that they had taken his bike to the station and told him to collect it from the highway where he was being picked up. After not finding his bike on the road he went back to the Police station where his bike was lying, but the keys were with police which they handed over to him after a lot of harassment.
On learning this, Soni immediately escalated the matter to Mumbai CP Shri. Dattatray Phadsalgikar who promptly ordered an enquiry with his team members. DCP Shri. Kirankumar Chawan of Zone XII monitored the Departmental enquiry, which was carried out by ACP Prashant Marde of Dahisar Division. Later Anil with support of C.R.P.C filed a complain with higher ups of police for misuse of law and violation of human rights on innocent helpful citizens.
Finally after intense regular follow-ups by Soni on the internal enquiry ordered by the Mumbai Police, it was found that Anil was illegally detained and there was gross violation of human rights by the police. CCTV footage was also referred to find out what time Anil was detained and when he was left and how police got his bike at police station and also it was proved that police misled him about his bike location after all the harassment.
In response to the same, Dahisar Police in a letter to Shri Darshan Soni has confirmed the Fault of the police staff. They have communicated further action on the involved police officials.
Soni states that It is important to restore the confidence of citizens in police as their rights are protected by them, but incidences like these would only discourage such honest citizens from contributing positively to the society and will encourage them to shy away from problems instead of lending a helping hand.
He was deeply grateful to Mumbai CP Shri Dattatray Phadsalgikar, DCP (Zone XII) Shri Kirankumar Chawan and ACP Shri Prashant Marde for carrying out sincere and unbiased enquiry