Police fail to take action on complaints filed by NMC, NIT

Nagpur: The police department is yet to take any action on many complaints lodged by Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT). An activist and political leaders have alleged that the police department acts only if complaints are filed by influential parties.
As per data available from the NMC, fire and emergency services department has sent over 50 complaints seeking an offence be filed against individuals and establishments using buildings despite them being declared unsafe. Most of these buildings house coaching classes and restaurants, where huge footfall is witnessed. There are numerous such cases.
On June 13, NIT lodged a complaint with the economic offence wing (EoW) asking it to register an offence against five persons of a family for getting mutation done in their names on civic agency’s lands worth Rs74 crore in a fraudulent manner.
On October 13, NIT submitted a complaint to Pachpaoli police station demanding an offence against garbage operator BVG India for encroaching on its sprawling land and dumping garbage since the last three years.
Citing over 100 big trees being cut down at two places, the civic body lodged a complaint with Sonegaon police station on October 17 and demanded action against garbage operator AG Enviro Infra Projects Pvt Ltd.
Alleging its leased land was taken into possession and auctioned by committing irregularities, the civic agency on October 26 asked Kalamna police station to book some bank officials.
NMC on October 27 lodged a complaint with Ambazari police station seeking action for removing its poles erected on its land.
In all these cases, the police officials told TOI that “investigation was underway”.
Advocate Shreerang Bhandarkar said, “The Supreme Court had given directions to register FIR immediately citing provision of 154 of CrPC in serious matters. It doesn’t require preliminary investigation in case of gross criminal act. All cases are serious and police should have immediately registered FIR. In fact, the police should have dealt with an iron hand as all these violations are against the state and more serious than normal offences.”
Activist Jwala Dhote alleged that the police department is biased. “They act swiftly only in the cases of influential people. The reputation of police is maligned to a great extent in the eyes of the common man. They do nothing on complaints of citizens and tell them to go to court. I can give many examples to prove my allegations,” she said.
Another activist, Suraj Lolage, said, “I am a victim of police bias. My land has been encroached upon but the police did not act as the illegalities were done by political netas. When a political leader lodged a complaint against me, the police were quick to book me. A few months ago, my friend lodged a complaint with police seeking an offence against corporators for holding an ‘illegal’ programme. NIT told the police that the programme was held on its property without any permission. No action has been taken till date.”
Shiv Sena city chief Nitin Tiwari said, “Police often register only a non-cognizable case if the complaints are against influential people. It wastes no time to act if the complaint is by an influential person. The common man does not get justice from police. It is very clear from these cases that they have not acted even on the complaints of government agencies, which lodge complaints after detailed investigations.”
Police officials have denied that there is any bias in their working.