The Powai police arrested a 25-year-old management professional who allegedly knocked down a traffic cop when he signalled him to stop his car for jumping a signal on Saturday. Hrushi Narendra Mehta was caught after a fellow policeman got into another car and chased him for 15 minutes from the Powai Garden junction to the NTPC signal junction. The victim, constable Sandeep Sukale (42), who is attached to the Sakinaka traffic police division, suffered internal head injuries after he fell on his head and became unconscious. He was discharged late on Sunday evening and is said to be in a stable condition.
Police said the incident happened around 3.45pm when Mehta was returning from office to YMCA hostel in CBD Belapur. Mehta, employed as manager with a private bank’s general insurance unit, hails from Rajasthan. He told the police that his intention was not injure Sukale, a version disputed by the police. “Mehta accelerated his car after driving it close to the traffic cop. We are not ready to buy his claim that his intention was not to hurt the cop and that he just got scared when he was asked to stop. He claimed that he was about to take a U-turn to return after hitting the cop and help the injured cops,” said Powai police assistant inspector Asha Korake.
Sukale said, “I was on duty at the Powai Garden junction along with my fellow policemen when I saw a driver jumping the signal. I signalled the motorist to stop and step out. The driver, on the pretext of taking the vehicle to the side, brought it close to me and before I could react he accelerated. In the process he knocked me down. I fell on my head.”
A car, behind Metha’s vehicle stopped on witnessing the incident and offered a lift to Sukale’s colleague, constable Vijay Palwale. “Police chased Mehta for around one km before he was caught. He could not escape because there was a traffic snarl at NTPC junction,” a police officer said.
Mehta has been booked under IPC sections 332 (causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty). He was also booked under the Motor Vehicle Act sections 22(a) RRR (Rules of Road Regulations 1989), 177 (disobeying manual traffic signal) and 179 (disobedience of orders, obstruction and refusal of information).
He was produced before the Bandra court on Sunday and released him on bail.
Cops don’t buy errant driver’s story
Powai police refuse to buy Hrushi Mehta’s version of the incident that saw him knocking down traffic constable Sandeep Sukale with his car.
“Mehta accelerated his car after driving it close to the traffic cop. He claimed he was about to take a U-turn to return after hitting the cop and help him,” said Powai police assistant inspector Asha Korake.
Sukale said, “I was on duty at the Powai Garden junction along with my fellow policemen when I saw a driver jumping the signal. I signalled the motorist to stop. The driver, on the pretext of taking the vehicle to the side, brought it close to me and before I could react he accelerated. In the process he knocked me down. I fell on my head.”
A motorist who was behind Mehta’s vehicle stopped on witnessing the incident and offered a lift to Sukale’s colleague, constable Vijay Palwale. “Police chased Mehta for around one km before he was caught. He could not escape because there was a snarl at NTPC junction,” an officer said.
Mehta was booked under IPC sections 332 (causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty). He was also charged under the Motor Vehicle Act sections 22(a) RRR (Rules of Road Regulations 1989), 177 (disobeying manual traffic signal) and 179 (disobedience of orders, obstruction and refusal of information).
He was produced before the Bandra court on Sunday and was released on bail.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
