Kharghar API suspended for dereliction of duty in assault case

Maharashtra MoS for Home Ranjit Patil today suspended an Assistant Police Inspector for dereliction of duty in an assault case in which a 10-month-old girl was brutally beaten up by the caretaker of a play school-cum-day care centre, after the issue was raised in the state assembly.
Cutting across party lines, members also demanded stringent laws to deal with such cases relating to creches, where working parents leave their children for their upkeep throughout the day.
Raising the issue through a Calling Attention motion, members Sunil Prabhu, Prashant Thakur, Ashish Shelar and others drew the attention of the House, demanding action against the API of Kharghar Police Station for trying to delay the registration of a case in connection with the incident.

Jayant Patil (NCP), Manisha Choudhary (BJP) and Virendra Jagtap (Congress) questioned the laxity in investigating the case.
They said the API was expected to register a case under relevant sections forthwith, but he instead told the complainant to wait until the Senior Police Inspector comes on duty.
The members said that the API indulged in delaying tactics and allowed the owner to tamper with the CCTV footage. Patil told the House that the incident came to notice in the morning but a case was registered late in the evening.

Shelar criticised the police over the bail granted to one of the accused booked under section 307 of the IPC.

The members demanded that there should be stringent laws including compulsory registration of creches, training to maid servants and caretakers, besides installation of CCTV cameras.
They suggested the state government run creches, along with with old-age homes, to ensure the safety of children.
The House unanimously demanded suspension of the officer, following which Patil announced it on the floor of the House.
Caretaker Afsana Sheikh, who allegedly beat up the
10-month-old girl, has been arrested. A CCTV video showing Sheikh beating up the girl had gone viral on the social media last month, triggering protests in the area.
Police have registered a case of attempt to murder as well as relevant offences under the Juvenile Justice Act against Nikam and Sheikh.

Police earlier arrested Nikam under section 324 of IPC (voluntarily causing hurt), but she got bail. Later when police pressed the attempt to murder charge, she moved the court for pre-arrest bail.
Navi Mumbai police commissioner Hemant Nagrale had said the police would produce Nikam in a local court and seek her police remand.