Mangaluru: City Cops protect a ‘Molester’ and victimise the complainant

Mangaluru: City Cops protect a ‘Molester’ and victimise the complainant

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru Techie spills the beans on Mangaluru City Police

Mangaluru, May 6, 2015: Bengaluru based Techie, who is out on bail, has now refuted the cooked up story of Mangaluru City Police what happedned on last week end incident of groping a girl in front of Liquid Lounge Bar on Balmatta raod in Manaluru.

In a press meet held here on May 06 , Harshil Shetty, the victim, narrate the nightmare he has gone through in the dreadful night following a molestation by a rogue identified as Sanjay Das and the cops taking side of the criminal’s side.

The particular incident took place at around 10.30pm, on the 2nd of May 2015 Saturday.The police version is that “one un identified person” groped a medical student as per her complaint to the police and an FIR registered. And, another FIR was filled against Harshil for misbehaving with police infront of Danish Fast Food Restaurant on hat hill road.

In a written complaint to City Police Commissioner S.Murugan, Harshil and his family members details the events unfolded that night and next morning not only completely contradicts the police version but also questions the style of functioning of Mangaluru City Police.

The Harshil narrated the story in his complaint to the Police commissioner as follows: “That night as we were exiting Liquid Lounge. Sunjay Das had probably noticed one of my female friends near the parking lot. My friend had parked her vehicle at a certain distance and hence was forced to walk up to it. The molester took advantage of the situation, grabbed her near the parking lot and molested her. The minute we realized what happened, we rushed to the spot and found our friend screaming out of utter shock and helplessness. Te molester then ran up the stairs towards Light House Hill Road. We chased him but had no luck of catching him.”
 
I decided to continue the chase and took the same route. I noticed a cop standing in the same area and enquired if he had seen anyone run by the same spot. The cop denied seeing anyone. I trusted his words and decided to go back. Just as i was about to abandon my hunt, i saw the molester hiding inside Danish Fast Food Restaurant, right opposite of the bus stop near St. Aloysius College. The molester was changing into a different set of cloths in an attempt to mislead anyone who would recognise him. I immediately confronted the molester and demanded him to come out of the restaurant. The molester turned out to be an employee of the specified restaurant. The owner came out and defended his employee in full glory and blocked the entrance.

 

He made every attempt to stop me from confronting the molester. Despite my continuous efforts to convince the owner, he flatly refused to cooperate. He continued to lie and defend the guy and even when to the extent of stating that the molester was present in the restaurant when the incident took place. I didn’t give up and swore to get the molester arrested for the crime he had committed.

By the time Police Constable Paramesh of Bunder police station had arrived, I thought that he would help me but he too ended up supporting the owner .My repeated attempts to convince the cops had failed miserably. The cop flatly refused to arrest the molester and advised me to let go of the situation. When I decided to retaliate, he started hitting me. I tried defending myself, but in vain .It was misunderstood as i was aggression. He continued hitting me and within the next five minutes a PCR arrived and I was dragged to the station. In the meanwhile I continued demanding for the arrest of the molester, by they chose to ignore my words. I was dragged to the station, while the real culprit was left behind.

The beating resumed once I reached the station .He was accompanied by two other cops. I wasn’t even allowed to contact anyone, After an hour, I contacted my female friends who were worried about my whereabouts .When my friends reached an explanation to my friends. They yelled at my friends, as well.

Considering the situation, a medical checkup was mandatory. Here again I was in for another shock. I was taken to the Hospital. There was no doctor in the Premise. They didn’t even conduct the basic check -ups. A nurse wrote something on a piece of paper .I told the constable that they had not conducted a proper check-up. I even said that I would inform the same at the station. The cop defended his action by saying that this was how a check -up is usually conducted. He told me to shut up and I was taken back to the station.

Finally, my female friends decided to intervene. Their presence alerted the cops, and only after that they decided to question the owner who was also present in the station. The cops finally felt the pressure and decided to go back to the spot and arrest the molester. They were accompanied by tow of my friends. The cops threatened my friends and even told them that if they identified the wrong person, they would file a case against them and have them arrested as well. Once his identify was confirmed, the cops took him into custody and an FIR was filed.

I was also shocked to see that there were no female constables present at the station. Also, none of the cops had even bothered to enquire about the actual crime. They neither made an attempt to speak to the victim, nor did they show any concern regarding the same.
At around 1.30am, I was finally asked to leave with an order to come back the next day.
“The next day, we went back to the station with my family.When I tried to explain the situation to the Police Inspector of North Police station Cheluvaraj. But in turn, he refused to listen anything from our side” said Prakash Shetty, Harshil’s father.

 He misbehaved and was disrespectful towards us. When my son tried to explain his side of the story, he asked to get out of the cabin and two cops and dragged him out of the inspector’s cabin. Subsequently, a case was filed against my son; Shetty explained the police high handedness.

When we requested the police to conduct a medical check-up for the injuries sustained, they flatly refused to do so. After the arrest, they themselves took to the government hospital and only checked blood pressure (BP). They refused to go ahead with the rest of the procedures, after that, he was taken to the judge’s house and the judge refused to grant the bail. Then he was taken to jail, his father explained what happened in the next morning.

Now, Harshil questions that if this is the attitude of the Mangalore police then in the future who will ever attempt to help their friends or others. “Instead of encouraging me, they punished me. I am in a state of confusion. In the future, Should I fight for justice or should i be a silent spectator to crime?” he asks.
 
Congress leader Belapu Deviprasad Shetty, Harshil’s uncle and others were present in the press meet.

 

Police Commissioner reacts :

Ordering an inquiry into the allegations, Police Commissioner S. Murugan said that the police had arrested Tapan Das (23). Mr. Murugan said that Mr. Shetty was allegedly inebriated and created a ruckus before the hotel. “There are eyewitnesses to the ruckus created,” he said. He added that it was difficult for the constable to believe Mr. Shetty’s allegations due to the absence of the victim. Mr. Shetty allegedly misbehaved in the police station and at the hospital where he was taken for an examination. Mr. Murugan said that Assistant Commissioner of Police (Central) will be enquiring into the allegations, including the alleged assault by policemen, the alleged foisting of a false case and the alleged defamation of of Mr. Shetty and the molested girl in the police station.