Mumbai:
In what comes across as a case of the police protecting their own, no action has been taken for more than two months against a senior police officer who has been caught twice in an inebriated condition while still on duty.
On February 22, a special squad formed by Additional Commissioner of Police (west region) Amitabh Gupta raided a bar and brought the owner and 10 bar dancers to the Andheri police station for questioning. However, when the team reached the police station, they were informed that the police inspector on duty, Suhas Raikar, had gone to a liquor party.
An initial inquiry conducted by ACP Gupta revealed that Raikar had been drinking on duty and a panchnama recording his inebriated state was immediately filed.
Gupta's suspicions were confirmed when Raikar's blood and urine samples tested positive for alcohol on forensic examination. Raikar had been charged with the same offence during Ganpati celebrations last year.
However, after Rakesh Maria, then Joint Commissioner of Police (crime), received complaints that the local police were reluctant to take action against one of their own officers, he ordered the Special Service Branch (SSB) to conduct a parallel inquiry.
Advocate Vikram Mehta had filed an RTI application in March to find out whether an FIR had been filed against Raikar in either of the cases, but he is yet to get a reply.
When asked about the action being taken, an SSB official said the investigation was being handled entirely by ACP Gupta. ACP Gupta, however refused to divulge details and merely said, "Investigations are on."