Mumbai car towing row: NCW demands action against guilty

After a video of the Mumbai Traffic Police towing a car while a woman was breastfeeding her seven-month-old baby inside it went viral, National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma on Sunday said a strict action should be taken against the policeman, but added if the woman acted irresponsibly, a case should be registered against her as well.

"When I saw the video last night, my first reaction was that the police personnel should be suspended and an action should be taken against him. But I read in the morning that the mother kept sitting inside the moving car. Our first concern is that of the child. If the case goes against the lady, then a case should be booked against her," Rekha Sharma told ANI.

"In any case, the police personnel is responsible and he should be taken to task," Sharma added.

The NCW chairperson also said the commission would write to the Director General of Police (DGP) requesting that an action be taken against the police personnel and a thorough investigation be done in the case.

A video of the incident, which took place in Malad West on Friday, is doing rounds on social media.

In the video, the woman can be seen sitting inside the car with her baby while the traffic cops are towing it.

The video shows that the policemen did not stop and continued speaking on the mobile phone even after the onlookers protested and warned that something untoward could happen to both the woman and the child.

The woman alleged that she pleaded the traffic policemen to stop but they did not listen to her and appeared unconcerned.

Talking to media, the woman named Jyoti Male said, "The policemen towing the car did not even for once ask me to get down, even when I told them that I am breastfeeding my baby they still did not stop."

Male further said that she had showed her medical prescription to the policemen saying she was unwell, but they did not stop.

She also demanded an apology from the cops for their act.