Mumbai: Cop hit with his lathi by rowdy

MUMBAI: A rowdy allegedly snatched a Mankhurd police constable's lathi, beat him up with it, and fled on Sunday evening, in the fourth case recently of police personnel being attacked in the city.

TOI has been highlighting the plight of law-enforcers. Marine Drive architect Arman Ankolkar (26), who was arrested by Azad Maidan police on Sunday, was released on a bail of Rs20,000 on Monday, while the police custody of the father-son duo from Breach Candy, arrested for allegedly attacking a traffic constable who stopped their car for a violation at Gowalia Tank in Tardeo on Friday, was extended by a day.


Mankhurd police got a call from the main control room to rush to Sathe Nagar slums as there was a law and order problem. Four policemen on patrol duty found some boys assaulting each other. Seeing the policemen, they ran helter-skelter. The cops ran in different directions to nab them. "Constable Pravin Suryavanshi was about to nab Akash, when the suspect cornered him and snatched his lathi, hit him with it and fled from the scene," said Nitin Bobde, senior inspector of Mankhurd police station. Police said that they have identified Akash's residence but he is absconding.

Mumbai Police commissioner Sanjay Barve said, "Those who take the law into their hands and assault public servants will face the music. We will not hesitate to register an offence against them under Indian Penal Code sections which are non-bailable. People have no right to disrespect a government servant on duty."

The 64th metropolitan magistrate's court granted a bail of Rs20,000 to Ankolkar and directed him to visit the police station when required. It directed him not to leave India without its permission. Azad Maidan police had opposed his bail, saying that it was a session triable case, and if released, he may tamper with evidence. Ankolkar's lawyer Sujay Kantawala citied judgements which said that only when the punishment was life imprisonment or death, the magistrate can give bail in session triable cases. Kantawala said until the case was not committed to a sessions courts for trial, the magistrate can consider granting of bail.

The public prosecutor said he may tamper with evidence, his fingerprints had to be taken, and he may run away from the country. Kantawala argued that his client had been framed. Ankolkhar has studied abroad and is from a well-educated and cultured family, Kantawala said. "Justice has been done. The false and bogus case foisted on my client will be exposed and quashed very soon," said Kantawala.

Ankolkar, a resident of Marine Drive who was returning late in his chauffeur-driven BMW car, allegedly got into an argument with policemen on nakabandi duty near the Income-Tax office at M K Road. Constable Deepak Devre had told Ankolkar's driver to show some documents, which led to the argument, and Ankolkar, who was in the back seat, came out and allegedly abused Devre.

A video of the Gowalia Tank incident, which had gone viral, showed Jay Munwani and his son Jashan abusing and assaulting constable Laxman Sanap (53) of Tardeo traffic police.