Mumbai:
Right on the heels of several incidents of enforcers of law forcing themselves on women comes another one, except with some reciprocal aggression. A clerk attached with the registry department has been suspended for continually misbehaving with a female colleague at the state police headquarters in Colaba. Incidentally, his 30-year-old victim was so enraged with the sustained harassment that she responded by hitting back, literally.
Additional Inspector General of Police KK Patthak has suspended Avinash Vinayak Rokade, after hearing that he allegedly harassed a colleague married to a policeman persistently; he would make obscene comments about her and ambush her with calls after she'd reach home. Last Monday, the victim lost her cool and publicly slapped her transgressor.
Said a police officer acquainted with the developments in the case, "Rokade used to make vulgar remarks to the 30-year-old victim and harass her in the office. Frustrated, she beat him up last Monday. The matter reached special inspector general Hemant Nagrale. He inquired into the matter and gave a report to Patthak who suspended Rokade." The news that has left the police department squirming yet again follows that of rape charges against tainted cop Anil Mahabole, and accusations that Inspector Dilip Mangoankar attached to the VB Nagar police station in Kurla misbehaved with his subordinate.
The police department has now asked all female police officers and constables to come forward with any complaints of harassment. They have been assured that their identities will not be disclosed. Spl IG Nagrale said, "We want the women officials who have undergone any kind of harassment to come forward and register their complaints with us. Their names will be kept secret."
Earlier this month, the Azad Maidan police had registered an FIR against ACP Anil Mahabole for raping a woman. The complainant alleged that Mahabole raped her after drugging her, recorded the act on MMS, and used it to blackmail her. There was another allegation of harassment against a police inspector in Satara. Both the cops were suspended by Home Minister R R Patil.