In yet another attack on policemen by civilians, four members of a Ganesh Utsav Mandal assaulted and attempted to drown a police officer in a lake at Kalyan in neighbouring Thane District, during the immersion of a Ganapati idol on Tuesday night.
In the incident that came close on the heels of a woman Constable being assaulted by a scooterist and her brother at Vile Parle (East) in north-west Mumbai on Tuesday morning, Sub-Inspector Nitin Dondu Dagale (38), attached to the Kolsewadi Police Station at Kalyan, was bashed up by four youths who also tried to drown him in Teesgaon Talo when the Ganesh idols were being immersed.
Dagale was on bandbast duty when the incident took place. The four youngsters belonging to Jari Mari Ganesh Utsav Mandal had a verbal tiff with Dagale when the latter asked them to join the queue while undertaking the Ganesh idols for immersion at the Teesgaon Talo at Kalyan.
Said to be close to a local politician, the four youngsters pushed the police officer into the lake. “When Dagale tried to come out water, one of the youngsters jumped into the water and lifted him on his shoulder and attempted to drown him in the lake,”a senior police official said on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a video of the officer being pushed into the lake has gone viral here. In the video by-standers can be seen enjoying the sight of Dagale being manhandled by the four youngsters.
Having registered an offence under Sections 307,353,332,186 of the IPC, the police have launched a massive search for the four absconding youngsters.
Meanwhile, a delegation of families of policemen had met Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and MNS President Raj Thackeray, prompting the former to call on the Chief Minister on Wednesday and raise the issue. The meeting between Uddhav and the CM meeting lasted for over an hour and lot of issues were discussed.
"A committee will be formed to address issues related to police and families. Their family members will be included in this committee. We are also working on a plan to increase interaction between police and public,” the CM said.
It may be recalled that the families of police personnel residing in Worli's BDD chawl in sourth-central Mumbai had lodged a protest against the attack on traffic constable Vilas Shinde last week.
Shinde succumbed to injuries onAugust 31, after he was allegedly beaten up by two youths. The CM Fadnavis was gheraoed by families of police personnel, when he visited their locality early this week.
In another incident that took place on Tuesday morning, a lady Constable Priyanka Khot, attached to the Vile Parle police station, was assaulted by a female scooterist and her brother after she sought to impose fine of Rs 500 on her for driving without a helmet.
In a related development, Maharashtra’s Director General of Police Satish Mathur said on Wednesday that his department would not tolerate attacks on the police personnel and if any one attacked his department, stern action would be taken against the attackers.