Four arrested for assaulting traffic cop

Surat: Two autorickshaw drivers and their 20 associates were booked at Lalgate police station for allegedly attacking a traffic cop and a traffic brigade jawan at Chowk near Nehru Bridge here on Saturday.
The accused drivers damaged their autorickshaw’s glass and blamed the traffic cop for it. The accused duo, who are brothers, then began to shout and incite passersby to attack the traffic cop.

The accused duo also made caste specific remarks about the cop for which they were booked under Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Police later arrested four accused who were involved in assaulting the cop.

The accused duo had threatened to upload a video on social media claiming that their auto’s glass was broken by the cop. However, the entire incident was captured on CCTV camera and their lie was exposed. Faisal Kachrakhachi and his brother Fezal, Gulam Sadir Shaikh and Jawid Shaikh were arrested.

They were booked along with a group of 18 other men for rioting following a complaint lodged by head constable in traffic police Govindbhai Jatariyabhai. The accused snatched the nameplate pinned on the uniform of the complainant and hurled abuses at him, including caste specific invectives. One of the accused allegedly kicked traffic brigade jawan Samir Munaf Khan and injured him before breaking his auto’s glass with his brother and injuring himself with it.

The accused were booked under various Sections of Indian Penal Code, including 143 (unlawful assembly), 146 (rioting), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from doing his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty), 186 (Obstructing a public servant in discharging public functions), 504 (Intentional insult with an intent to provoke breach of peace), 193 (creating false evidence) and The Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Police investigation revealed that the main accused did not stop his autorickshaw when the traffic brigade jawan signalled him to stop. He came dangerously close to the jawan after which the accused started misbehaving with the complainant cop. The incident took place when eight traffic cops were present at the spot.

“We have arrested four accused during investigation. Other accused will also be arrested and strict action will be taken against all of them,” in-charge assistant commissioner of police, D division, P K Patel said.