Trauma to eyes caused by fist

After initially refusing activist's complaint, action assured against guilty

After initially refusing activist's complaint, action assured against guilty

It happened in the middle of a busy street. Stunned passersby watched in horror as a lady cop rained blows on a 38-year-old social activist on Monday.
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WAIT AND WATCH: Social activist Vikas Lavande's Indica Vista grazes past IPS officer Sahay's WagonR near Swargate. He offers to pay expenses but Sahay tells him to pull over and calls up someone

TAKE THIS: Soon, API Patil from Swargate police station reaches the spot. She assaults Lavande who is then taken to the police station and later put in lock-up.u00a0 illustrations/Satish Acharya

The police officer,u00a0 Assistant Police Inspector Varsharani Patil posted at the Swargate police station, allegedly assaulted Vikas Lavande, district president of Yuvak Kranti Dal, a Leftist youth organisation, after his Indica Vista grazed past a WagonR belonging to an IPS officer near Swargate.

Offence against cop
A case filed against Lavande was withdrawn while police were reluctant to register any complaint against Sahay. A non-cognisable offence has been registered against API Patil at Khadak police station.

u00a0"I was heading towards Sarasbaug when my car banged into the other vehicle at Jedhe chowk at Swargate," said Lavande. "I offered to pay the expenses to the owner who was later identified as Inspector General of Police Sahay. He told me to pull over and made a phone call."

Lavande said that within minutes, API Patil reached the spot. "She saluted the officer and fisted me twice on the face. My pleas to her fell on deaf ears," said Lavande.

Locked up
"I was taken to Swargate and Khadak police station and later put in a lock-up at Vishrambaug police station," he told MiD DAY. "But when Patil came to know that I am a social activist, the complaint lodged against me was withdrawn."

A medical test conducted on Lavande at Sassoon General Hospital confirmed 'trauma to both eyes by fist' and 'pain in both eyes'.

After his release, when Lavande insisted on filing a complaint against Sahay, officials at Swargate and Khadak police stations were reluctant to take down his complaint.

However, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Swargate division) Abhay Yeole assured Lavande of action against the guilty.