Sessions court acquits mechanic of assault charges, video surveillance shows police misconduct

Mumbai: A mechanic accused of assaulting police officers and damaging property at a station was acquitted by the sessions court after CCTV footage revealed harassment by the police officer. The court observed that the accused Viraj Pawar was tied to an iron rod and ill-treated for over an hour. Therefore, out of frustration, he kicked the table, which resulted in the damage.

Court’s comment

The court said: “None of the three police officers who took the accused to the police station filed a complaint against him for his alleged blatant acts.”

Referring to the CCTV footage, the court observed, “It is seen that the trio entered the SHO’s cabin. The accused was told to stand near a partition in front of the SHO’s table.”

It was clearly visible that he repeatedly folded his hands, but the officers repeatedly slapped him, the judge said.