Man gets 2-yr RI for attacking cop on duty in Maharashtra

A court in Thane district of Maharashtra has awarded two years' rigorous imprisonment to a 26-year-old man for attacking a policeman and preventing him from discharging his duty.

Assistant Sessions Judge D Y Gaud in his order last week also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on the accused, Hemant Kumar Bishnoi, a native of Barmer district in Rajasthan.

According to the prosecution, a group of policemen were on patrolling duty on the intervening night of November 2-3, 2018 when they saw the accused and his associate tampering with a car at Nerul in Navi Mumbai town.

When the police approached them, the two men ran away.

However, the police later caught Bishnoi and when they were enquiring with him, he attacked a constable with a metal object.

The policeman received injuries near his right eye and was admitted to a hospital.

Bishnoi was subsequently arrested and his associate, Jaswantsingh Jaggusingh Rawat (27), was also caught a few days later from the same area.

The prosecution sought maximum punishment for the accused, saying the offence was of a serious nature.

The judge sentenced Bishnoi after considering the fact that the offence was committed against a policeman, who is a public servant, while he was discharging his duty.

He pronounced Bishnoi guilty under Indian Penal Code Sections 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty) and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty).

The judge acquitted Rawat, giving him benefit of doubt.