Firing by PSI: No FIR lodged still

Vadodara: A day after senior cops affirmed that they will take Simit Prajapati’s complaint and register an offence, city police seem to be dragging its feet on lodging an FIR in the case.
Prajapati, who took three bullets fired by probationary sub-inspector S V Chudasama of Makarpura police station on June 3, gave his statement to police on Tuesday night. But more than 24 hours on, an FIR was not registered.
According to police sources, Prajapati mentioned in his statement that Chudasama fired at him deliberately as they were involved in a melee. “It was not an accidental fire. He pulled out his gun and fired at me without any warning,” Prajapati told police. However, he also added that he did not know that Chudasama was a sub-inspector at that time.
Prajapati was having his dinner when somebody shouted that his father had been slapped. Hearing this, Prajapati rushed out of his house and went to his father’s paan shop nearby. “When I reached there, the man had held my father’s collars. I asked him what was going on, but he asked me to stay away and pushed me which led to arguments and we got into fist fight,” he stated.
Prajapati’s family members questioned the police’s inaction even after taking his statement. “They quickly registered the PSI’s complaint, but we do not understand why they are taking so much time in registering the offence,” said one of his family members.
TOI tried to contact investigating officer to know the status of the case, but there was no response.
Vadodara: Probationary sub-inspector S V Chudasama has alleged that he was being manhandled by five persons while he was holding his pistol in his arm and he fired accidentally.
While Chudasama has alleged he was beaten up by five persons, there have been instances in the past where cops have been surrounded by mob with swords yet they have never fired at any persons. All they did was to brandish the weapon at the crowd to scare them away or fire in air to disperse the mob.
In October 2017 during a Tazia procession, the then second inspector of Panigate police station B M Rana was surrounded by a mob with swords. Somebody from the mob had even tried to snatch Rana’s gun, but he used his presence of mind and fired in the air to disperse the mob.
Similarly in March last year, a team of cops from Vadodara Taluka police station that tried to stop a vehicle of a bootlegger near Dumad crossroads had to face ire of residents of Ganpatpura village. Then sub-inspector of Vadodara Taluka police station B D Jadeja was gheraoed by a mob and even assaulted. But Jadeja fired three rounds in air in self-defence. In the same month, another sub-inspector from Gorwa police station Kirit Lathiya was surrounded by a crowd during a demolition operation of Vadodara Municipal Corporation. Lathiya only pointed gun at the crowd and did not fire.
In May last year, when a woman sub-inspector S J Tomar had gone to Dudhwala Mohalla near Nyay Mandir to close down shops and stalls which were operating past midnight, some persons raised objections and hurled abuses at her which had led to heated arguments. A group of locals gathered around Tomar to snatch her baton and hit her on head. However, neither Tomar nor anyone from her team opened fire at mob.