11 October,2012 06:48 AM IST | | Saurabh Vaktania
The staffers of a bar in Wadala attacked officials of the Social Service (SS) branch in course of a routine inspection. The team comprised three police officers and four constables, all of whom were assaulted by four of the bar's staff members. The Wadala police have arrested three of the staffers, while one is still at large.
Assaulted: The violent staffers of Sagar Bar only realised that they had been beating up cops when a back-up police team came to the bar from Wadala police station; three of the assaulters were apprehended
According to police officials from Wadala police station, the incident occurred on Tuesday night when the team reached Sagar Bar in Wadala for a routine inspection. All the cops had gone in plain clothes. When they reached the bar at around 11.30 pm, the live orchestra was playing.
As the cops made their way towards the bar, some hotel staffers stopped them from entering.
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The plainclothes cops then informed the staffers that they were policemen on duty. The staff members however paid no heed. They then started assaulting the cops, not believing that they were policemen. Meanwhile, a police officer called the local Wadala police for help. A team from Wadala police station reached the spot in minutes.
Seeing the policemen arrive, all the four accused fled from the hotel. One was apprehended immediately, while two others were arrested later in the evening. Senior Police Inspector Pandurang Ingule of Wadala police station said that the three arrested accused had been identified as Mayur Geghumal (23), Manu Gowda (29) and Jeetu Mahano (27). They have been booked under Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 34 (common intentions) of the Indian Penal Code. They will be produced in court today.
ACP Firoz Patel of the Social Service branch said, "Our officers were performing their duty when the incident happened. Officers from the Social Service branch have to be in civil attire so they can conduct raids effectively. In this case, even when our officers said they were police personnel, they were hindered by the hotel staff."
Eventful day
Before going to Sagar Bar, the same team, under the supervision of ACP Firoz Patel raided Balaji Bar in Nagpada. Patel said, "Nude photographs were displayed on the walls, and this attracted customers. We rescued four women and arrested 20 people, including the bar manager."
A case has been registered under Section 292 (sale, etc, of obscene books) and 294 (obscene acts and songs) of the IPC.
This is the second time that cops have been attacked during a raid. In July last year, a team headed by Police Inspector Rakesh Sharma was brutally attacked by staff members of a bar in Andheri when they raided its premises. u00a0
