Over 30 complaints, but only one case to show violation of apex court order

Pune: All warnings of strict action against those violating firecracker norms went up in smoke during Diwali as the Pune police registered just one case, that too, of assault on three policemen for trying to prevent bursting of firecrackers beyond the timings set by the Supreme Court (SC).


Sources told TOI that 37 complaints were received at the police control room (100) and the police WhatsApp number (8975283100), of which only one resulted in the registration of the FIR.

A senior police control room officer said, “Most of the complaints received on Wednesday and Thursday were in relation to bursting of firecrackers after the 10pm deadline. Our beat marshals visited the spots, but the complainants refused to lodge complaints as they did not wish to reveal their identities.”

He said 11 of these complaints were received from Kondhwa, followed by Swargate (eight), Wanowrie and Chatushrungi (three each), Deccan Gymkhana, Bund Garden, Vimannagar, Kothrud and Samarth (two each). “One complaint each was received from the Dattawadi and Koregaon Park areas,” he added.

A police beat marshal and his two colleagues were attacked at Gadital in Yerawada, while a 48-year-old man was beaten up by his cousin in Guruwar Peth in two separate incidents relating to bursting of firecrackers on Wednesday midnight.

The beat marshal and his colleagues had gone to Gadital around 11pm on Wednesday. “They saw around 150-200 people bursting crackers between Gadital and Chitra Chowk. When told to leave the spot, a group of six men pelted stones on them. Constable Kapil Bhakre in his FIR has held the six men responsible for the incident. We have identified three suspects,” assistant inspector Sushil Bobade of the Yerawada police said, adding that no arrests have been made so far.

The suspects have been booked for obstructing public servant from performing his/her duty (a non-bailable offence) and offences under the Maharashtra Police Act, relating to prevention of disorder and disobedience. In the other incident, Umesh Pardeshi, a labourer, from Guruwar Peth lost vision of his left eye after he was assaulted by his cousin over bursting of firecrackers. The suspect has been booked under Section 325 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) of the IPC.