BJP workers tried to stop police vehicle escorting their party's counsillor Munish Chaudhary to police station... Read More

MEERUT: A BJP councilor and restaurant owner has been arrested for assaulting a police sub-inspector and molesting a woman lawyer following an altercation over delay in serving meals on Friday night.

Sub-inspector Sukhpal Singh Pawar, in-charge of Mohiuddinpur police outpost, was accompanying a female lawyer friend to a local restaurant owned by Munish Chaudhary.

According to witnesses, Pawar, in an inebriated condition, had landed at the restaurant with the lawyer, who is also based in Meerut city. Things turned ugly when the two got into an argument with restaurant employees over delayed service.

“The woman had placed the order and wanted to be served soon but there was some delay, and she started shouting at waiters. The restaurant owner arrived and confronted her. When Pawar intervened, Chaudhary assaulted him,” Prashant Kumar, additional director-general (ADG) Meerut said.

In a video which was uploaded online, Chaudhary can be seen assaulting Sukhpal, who falls to the ground. The late-night incident caught police off guard while it was busy with security arrangements during Dussehra celebrations in several pockets of the city. Soon after the incident, a police team arrived at the scene. Initially SI Pawar and the woman lawyer were detained on the complaint of Chaudhary.

Soon after video of the incident was made available to police by local media persons, Chaudhary was detained. Chaos ensued at local Kankerkhera police station after a battery of BJP leaders arrived in support of Chaudhary.

An FIR based on the complaint of Pawar was registered under sections 395 (dacoity), 342 (wrongful confinement), 354 (assault or criminal force on woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duties) of IPC at Kankerkhera police station.

Meanwhile, departmental action has been initiated against Pawar, who was attached to police lines pending a probe. “The SI was also found to be guilty of dereliction of duty, as he was away from his Chowki area at a time when the entire district police was busy in Dussehra duties,” ADG Kumar added.

On Saturday, local BJP leaders and supporters gathered at Kankerkhera station to protest Chaudhary’s arrest. “The woman was clearly seen threatening the BJP leader using the service pistol of her police officer friend. Police is yet to take cognizance of that and is brazenly trying to protect its own,” Vivek Rastogi, a local BJP leader said.

BJP men allegedly attacked the fleet of police vans taking Chaudhary to court. "An FIR against unidentified BJP supporters has been registered for trying to obstruct official proceedings," additional superintendent of police (crime) Satpal Antil said.

