Thaindian News

Pune, Feb 1 (IANS) Pune police Wednesday registered a complaint against over 30 army personnel for assaulting a traffic police constable here. The army has ordered an inquiry into the incident, an official said.

“Two young army officers attached to the College of Military Engineering (CME) got involved in an altercation with a traffic police constable when they were stopped for running into a no-entry zone,” Deputy Commissioner of Police Dnyneshwar Fadtare told IANS.

“The army has ordered a court of inquiry to investigate the incident. The concerned officers have been debarred from leaving CME premises. The headquarters of CME is in liaison with the local police authorities,” an army spokesperson said in a statement.

According to police, the two officers in question left the spot after the altercation and returned with their friends who assaulted the male constable. Around 30-40 jawans and officers in civil clothes had also broken the cameras of mediapersons who had rushed to the spot late Tuesday, police said.

“Offences like using force on a policeman and breaking traffic rules have been registered against them and we are looking into it,” Fadtare said.

Terming it as an “unfortunate incident”, the army spokesperson said the two young officers — Capt V. Advait with Lt. A. B. Pandit — were going on a motorcycle to the market and passed through Sambhaji Bridge (Lakdipul).

The spokesperson had a different account of the incident.

“Since the bridge was not open to two-wheeler traffic (of which the young officers were unaware due to no prominent sign-posting), they were stopped at the end of the bridge by a lady traffic constable at around 7.30 p.m. They were asked to park the bike to a side and pay the required fine, to which they agreed,” the spokesperson said.

“With the bike parked aside, as they introduced themselves as army Officers, the lady constable took the keys while a second male constable started abusing Capt Advait, roughing and manhandling him, stating that since he was once roughed up for travelling without helmet in army area, he would do the same,” he added.

The spokesperson said that while other police personnel started converging at the
location, the young officers also informed their course mates regarding the incident.

“The officers’ course mates arrived and went inside the police station to the constable. Realising that the constable was still aggressive and continuously abusive, the officers also had an exchange of words with the constable,” the spokesperson said.