Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The city reported six incidents of assault on police personnel in the last one month. To add to the worries is the fact that the accused in five out of the six cases are on the run. In four cases, the harm was inflicted by listed criminals and habitual offenders, while in two, the accused did not have a previous record.
It has been almost over a month since a police constable posted at the Habibganj police station, who went to the Rani Kamlapati railway station to pacify a road rage, was assaulted by an unidentified man. The accused managed to speed away in his car. The video of the act went viral on social media. Almost five other police personnel were also present with the victim, but failed to tame the accused.
In another incident, an off-duty constable heading towards his house was assaulted by three residents of Kamla Nagar almost 15 days ago. The constable was deployed on Chief Minister Mohan Yadavís security duty. The accused trio had attacked the constable in Kotra Sultanabad, hardly 200 metres away from his house and are still on the lam.
In the latest incidents, a constable posted at DCP Zone-2 Shraddha Tiwariís office was brutally beaten up by a mob in Barkheda Pathani after he had advised a man to drive his cab responsibly as he had overtaken him in a dangerous manner. The constableís friends, who were passing through the spot managed to rescue him, while there were no updates on the details of the accused involved in the crime. Another man passing from the front of Narmada hospital in the city attacked a traffic constable after being pulled over as he was not wearing a helmet. He, however, was detained and sent to jail.
It is also noteworthy that four out of all the six incidents took place in the Zone-1 area of the city.
Cops didn't misbehave with accused: Senior officials
Senior officials of the Bhopal police commissionerate system told Free Press that often police personnel are attacked due to their unruly conduct and misbehaviour, but in all the aforementioned cases, no cop had misbehaved with the accused.
Up to 2-yr jail term for assaulting cops: DCP (Zone-1)
Zone-1 DCP Priyanka Shukla told Free Press that in cases of assault on police personnel, the accused could face up to two years of imprisonment.
