Pune: CID on Thursday registered two separate cases against 17 police personnel of Bharati Vidyapeeth police on the charge of illegally detaining and parading minor boys on July 21 for an alleged murder, and parading three youths in public separately on July 5 in a body offence case, adhering to Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission’s directive.Atotal of 11 police personnel posted at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station were named in the case involving the detention of minor boys. The boys were later paraded on the bonnet of a police van on July 21.Another case was lodged against 13 police personnel on the charge of parading the three youngsters. Some of the police personnel booked in this case were also named in the minors’ parading case.Additional director general of police (CID) Sunil Ramanand, also the chief investigating officer in both cases, said, “We have registered two separate cases against the police officials and constables based on the fact-finding reports of Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC).”MSHRC had earlier this month directed the director-general of police to register an FIR against the Pune police personnel for allegedly illegally detaining the minors in a murder case and assaulting them in public.CID pressed charges of illegal detention and assault in police custody in the case involving the parade of minors. It also invoked charges under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against then senior inspector, two assistant inspectors, a sub-inspector and seven police constables posted with Bharati Vidyapeeth police.CID deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Sanket Gosavi lodged the complaint, stating that it was based on the fact-finding report of MSHRC. According to the FIR, Bharati Vidyapeeth police personnel on July 20 detained four minors on the charge of hacking a boy (17) in Katraj area on July 19. Later, police detained four more boys. “They were detained illegally in Ambegaon police chowkey and no record of their detention was prepared,” the FIR stated.The police officer investigating the case was not present in the chowkey. The minor boys were kept in custody illegally. They were produced before Juvenile Justice Board on July 25, and allegedly fake and misleading documents on their detention were submitted.MSHRC officials collected CCTV footage and other video evidence in this regard. They claimed that the police personnel beat up the boys in Ambegaon Pathar police chowkey with bamboo sticks and batons.The police personnel allegedly issued threats to the boys and told them not to disclose to Sassoon General Hospital doctors that they were beaten up. The boys were kept in illegal detention between July 21 and 24, the FIR stated.Later, three of the detained boys were tied with ropes and made to sit on the bonnet of a police van. They were paraded from Ambegaon Pathar police chowkey to Bharati Vidyapeeth police station. The FIR stated that the mother of the deceased boy allegedly beat up one of the detained minors during the parade.According to the other FIR, four youths involved in a body offence surrendered at Bharati Vidyapeeth police station on July 5. They were formally arrested on the night of July 5. Later, the senior inspector and other police personnel allegedly beat them up in the police station with belts.The youths were produced before the court on July 6 and their police custody was secured. Later, they were taken to a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme in Katraj area and paraded in full public view.The FIR stated that the police personnel did not maintain the logbook of vehicles, which mentioned their visit to the SRA scheme. It also said the youngsters were paraded illegally.
