[Resolved]  Mumbai Mirror — Corruption at the Bandra Police Station

Address:

Mumbai City, Maharashtra

Dear Editor, This is an open letter addressed to the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai requesting for an answer. My aged mother-in-law, my 2 minor kids and I attended the Bandra Fair on Sunday the 21st of September. We got of the car at Bandstand and headed up to the church while our driver, an old man of 60 + took off to find a parking slot. After we were done at the church we walked down to Bandstand and I called my driver who was parked quite a distance away. Unfortunately, on his way to pick us up, the car’s front wheel went over the feet of a young girl who was strolling with her friends. There was a police patrol nearby and the girl and her friends were packed into our car along with a constable and arrived near Mannat (Land’s End) where we were waiting. The constable informed me that the girl would need to be taken to Bhaba Hospital. We followed in a rick and we were stopped a few minutes later (at Bandstand) by a group of policemen who had probably been informed about the accident. They kept insisting that we go to the Bandra Police Station immediately. It was only after i insisted that the girl was in pain and needed to be seen by a doctor that they let us proceed. My family reached Bhaba hospital by rick and waited for a few minutes. On calling my driver i was told that the girl insisted on being taken to Holy Family since it was closer. We caught another rick and reached Holy Family at around 5.45 pm. My aged mother-in law and kids waited out while i went in to the casualty. By then the victim had been wheeled in for X-ray. The X-ray report indicated she had a minor fracture on her right feet and would need to wear a cast for 3 weeks. While the doctor in charge attended to the procedure; another constable posted in the hospital met me and told me that my driver would need to come to the Bandra police station. He was very courteous and polite and so was the constable who had accompanied the victim and her friends to the hospital. Since my driver is an old man I told the police that my family would go with him after the girl was attended to. He agreed, collected my driver’s licence and left. I was so far very impressed with the efficiency and the courteousness shown by the Mumbai police in handling the case. I paid for the treatment, the medicines that the girl would require etc and asked her and her friends to follows us to the police station. They insisted that they did not want to file a complaint or pursue the matter since it was partly also their fault for walking on the road and insisted on settling it. They indicated that they would settle for Rs. 15000/- My driver who was speaking with them vehemently refused their demand saying it was a minor accident, the girl was not severely hurt, that we had paid for the entire treatment etc. After talking for a while they agreed at Rs. 5000/- By then one of my staff had arrived at the hospital and he along with the driver took the girls and reached Bandra Police Station around 07.15 pm. I could not go with them as my mother-in-law who is highly diabetic was beginning to feeling unwell due to the stress. Trouble started at the Bandra Police Station. Inspite of the girl’s insistence that they did not want to file any complaint, that it was partially also their fault since they happened to be walking on the road; the duty officer Mr. Gavande demanded that Rs. 25000/- be paid to him to settle the matter and not file an FIR. He said that if this amount was not paid, he would have to impound the car and also lock up my driver. My staff kept telling him that all they had left with them was Rs. 5000/- . I was in touch with my staff by phone and told them if that was the case, to leave the car at the station and let the driver be held in custody. When Mr. Gavande realized that he would not be able get Rs. 25, 000 out o[censored]s he agreed to “settle the matter “ in Rs. 5000/- which my staff finally paid up to get the car and driver released. We did not get any receipt for the same. I do not seek sympathy nor do i seek to downplay the accident. I only wish to know why my staff was unduly harassed at the Bandra Police Station when: (1) It was a minor accident and the victim also accepted the blame for it. (2) When it was established that my driver was not drunk, nor was he driving too rashly or fast. (3) When my staff and I had done all we could as responsible citizens and when all our documents (driver’s license, car registration papers, insurance papers etc) were in order. Is it any wonder then that we have so many cases of hit and run happening in Mumbai. There might be people who want to stop and genuinely help accident victims but fear the harassment that they would suffer at the hands of the police...very often it is the senior brass that are the worst offenders. The demand of Mr. Gavande is a mockery on the judicial system and also a clear indicator of the corruption in the police force and the reason why ordinary citizen s like us have no faith in and are so apprehensive about having any dealings with the police. Mr. Maria if you wish to curb the crimes happening in this city, i think you will first need to pull up and weed out officers like Mr. Gavande who misuse the powers entrusted to them and harass ordinary citizens for personal gain. Sincerely Sheryl A George Mob Contact: [protected]