Army officers, cops clash in Pune

PUNE: High drama prevailed at the Sambhaji bridge (Lakdipul) police chowky at the busy Tilak chowk here for nearly two hours on Tuesday evening after a group of officers from the College of Military Engineering (CME), Dapodi, allegedly assaulted traffic police personnel posted there.
The commotion, which started after two CME officers on a motorcycle were intercepted by the traffic police at the chowk, saw the police and the officers engage in fisticuffs at the chowky.
A little later, one of the CME officers summoned his colleagues, the police said. A group of around 40 motorcycle-borne men came to the chowky and started assaulting the policemen, they said.
“A woman constable, Latika Maner, was also roughed up in the process. The attackers damaged some property in the chowky,” deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Vishwas Pandhare said.
At least four vehicles carrying armed military personnel reached the site much to the panic of common citizens gathered there. Mediapersons were also not spared as some of them were beaten while the video cameras of some television channel reporters were smashed.
The military police came to the chowky after being called there by the local police. Senior police officers, including deputy commissioners of police (DCPs) Makarand Ranade, Pandhare, Sanjay Jadhav and Dnyaneshwar Phadtare, reached the chowky to take control of the situation.
Two-wheelers are not allowed on the bridge from 9 am to 9 pm. Phadtare told TOI, “It all started around 7.30 pm when two women traffic constables on duty, Latika Maner and Sunita Gorude, intercepted a motorcycle that came along the Sambhaji bridge from Khandujibaba chowk to Tilak chowk in violation of the two-wheeler restriction on the bridge. A CME officer was riding the motorcycle with his colleague.”
“An altercation prevailed between the traffic constables and the two motorcycle-borne youths. One of the youths insisted that the police cannot act against him as he was a serving army officer,” said inspector Arjun Sakunde, incharge of Vishrambaugh police station. A male constable, Nilesh Tapke, from the nearby police chowky intervened while the altercation was on.
Phadtare said, “The two CME officers manhandled Tapke and Maner and went on to damage some property at the chowky.” One of the officers also summoned his colleagues. “Around 40 men, who were not in uniform, reached the site and got into a verbal exchange with the police personnel,” said DCP (crime) Rajesh Bansode. Meanwhile, press reporters and photographers, who reached the spot, were also assaulted by some of these 40 men. Later, the military trucks moved in to the site.
At the same time, the military police arrived in their official vehicles and started directing the group of 40 men to leave the place immediately. They also asked the military trucks to leave the place. Military police officer Ram Anuj Singh said, “We will resolve this issue soon.”
No arrest was reported till the time of going to the press. Phadtare said, “We will lodge an offence under section 353 of the IPC and traffic violation against the two offenders.” Section 353 deals with ‘assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty’.