A girl was beaten up by some women constables at the famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh pandal in the city – an incident whose video went viral on social media – prompting Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis swing into action. He has assured the victim that the guilty would not be spared.
However, contrary to what was claimed, the preliminary probe by the police indicted that the incident may have taken place earlier and not last Friday. “This is a serious matter. The guilty won’t be spared,” Fadnavis said.
The initial <g data-gr-id="137">probe however</g> suggested that the video is an old one, DCP (Detection 1) Mohan <g data-gr-id="94">Dahikar</g> said. “The city police chief has taken a <g data-gr-id="95">suo</g>-moto cognisance of the incident and the victim girl seen in the video has also been identified,” said <g data-gr-id="96">Dahikar</g>, adding that those who uploaded the video on the internet had claimed it happened on Friday.
The girl’s name has been withheld and her statement will be recorded by the police, said <g data-gr-id="92">Dahikar</g>, adding that the probe by the zonal DCP was on.
“We have called for a report from the police within 48 hours. In these 48 hours, we will ensure that action is taken if anybody is found to be guilty. This is a very serious incident and we will ensure that no person who is guilty of manhandling is spared,” Fadnavis has said.
The reason for roughing up the girl, believed to be in her early 20s, is yet to be ascertained, but preliminary investigation reveals that she had come for the darshan of Lalbaugcha Raja and was trying to gate-crash from the VIP entry, when she was caught and beaten up.
Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesha pandal in Central Mumbai attracts lakhs of devotees during the 10-day Ganesha festival which concluded on Sunday.
A police officer said: “The footage which has gone viral shows only one side of the story – what happened inside the gate. But in her attempt to get inside, the girl had misbehaved with those cops. She threatened them that she has a black belt in karate. All the time she kept hurling abuse at the three women constables.”
Police would be calling the victim and the constables to record their statements and checking the CCTV footage of the spot. The incident comes a day after it was reported that a lady scribe was assaulted by volunteers of Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal.
Meanwhile, a police official said the initial probe suggests that the video that went viral on <g data-gr-id="157">internet</g> is an old video.
“City police <g data-gr-id="156">has</g> taken a <g data-gr-id="97">suo</g>-moto <g data-gr-id="98">congiozance</g> of the incident and the <g data-gr-id="99">vicitm</g> seen in the video has also been identified,” said DCP (Detection-1) Mohan Dahikar. He said the video on <g data-gr-id="154">internet</g> claimed that the incident <g data-gr-id="155">was of</g> Friday last. Considering this, the girl’s statement will be recorded, he said.