ANDHER NAGRI CHOPAT RAJA......

Two MLAs who thrashed cop get bail, victim suspended

Under Oppn Fire, Govt ‘Punishes’ SI

Sharad Vyas & S Ahmed Ali TNN 

Mumbai: In a double blow to the state police, while home minister R R Patil on Monday suspended traffic sub-inspector Sachin Suryavanshi for misbehaving with a legislator, a court granted bail to MLAs Ram Kadam and Kshitij Thakur, who are accused of beating up Suryavanshi in the assembly premises. 
    Patil on Monday announced in the assembly that Suryavanshi had been suspended for being “rude and misbehaving” with Thakur, an MLA from Nalasopara. He said he had watched the CD of Suryavanshi’s “verbal duel” with Thakur on the Bandra-Worli sea link on March 18. “According to the preliminary inquiry by DCP S R Nilevad (DCP, traffic-south), Suryavanshi was rude to Thakur, which is unbecoming of a police officer,’’ Patil later told the media. 
    Meanwhile, a Pune-based activist has filed a PIL seeking an investigation into the alleged assault on Suryavanshi by MLAs. 
    The petition by Hemant Patil has urged the court to direct the government to produce relevant records of the assault and order a probe by the state director general of police or another independent agency. 
    On Monday, Suryavanshi had an argument with Thakur after he stopped the MLA’s car and fined his driver for speeding on the sea link. The argument was again fuelled when Suryavanshi reached Vidhan Bhavan on Tuesday after being called by deputy speaker Vasant Davkhare. Suryavanshi, attached to the Worli police station, was thrashed by around 10 to 12 MLAs, including Thakur and Kadam, inside the Vidhan Bhavan. 
    Under pressure from the opposition to take action against the injured cop, the home minister said, “A preliminary probe by a senior officer of the rank of a DCP has found Suryavanshi used language during the incident which was unbecoming of an officer on duty. I was informed of this report by police commissioner himself. I, therefore, suspended him from the force,” Patil informed the Lower House amidst thumping and cheer from members. Suryavanshi has already been sent on forced leave, the announcement for which was also made by Patil in the Upper House last week. 
ON MONDAY 
    Under pressure from the opposition that the govt was employing double standards while acting against MLAs and policemen, home minister R R Patil said it was decided to suspend Suryavanshi for being rude and misbehaving with an MLA
    Esplanade court granted Kadam and Thakur cash bail of Rs 15,000 each. It directed them to visit the police crime branch every Wednesday or whenever asked to do so 
LEGISLATORS VERSUS POLICE LAST WEEK Traffic sub-inspector Sachin Suryavanshi fined MLA Kshitij Thakur’s driver for speeding on Bandra-Worli sea link. Suryavanshi, Thakur had a fierce argument. The next day, the cop was thrashed by a group of MLAs inside the assembly. Thakur and another MLA, Ram Kadam, surrendered and were remanded in police custody

A preliminary probe by an officer of the rank of a DCP has found Suryavanshi used language during the incident which was unbecoming of an officer on duty. I was informed of this report by the police commissioner himself. I, therefore, suspended him—R R Patil | HOME MINISTER

Last week, MLAs Kshitij Thakur and Ram Kadam (L) showed a video clip of Suryavanshi arguing with Thakur