The Thane police on Tuesday refused to register a complaint against the civic body’s chief Sanjeev Jaiswal for allegedly manhandling a auto-driver and a private car driver during a drive to clear encroachments from roads.
Nilesh Ambekar, an activist and a resident of Thane, had to return from Thane Nagar police station after he was told that no complaint of would be registered against the Thane Municipal Commissioner.
Mr. Ambekar said, “I support the corporation’s drive against encroachments, but that does not mean that a senior IAS officer like him should go on beating people on the road. What if my relative was driving the car and pulled out by him only to be beaten up, just like he did in one of the videos? I do not think it was proper conduct and it should not be encouraged. A complain must be registered against him.”
When told to take up the matter with higher authorities, Mr. Ambekar approached the office of the Commissioner of Thane Police where his complaint was received. He said, “I took a copy of the complaint to the DCP’s office and the Nagar police station. At both places, nobody accepted my complaint. Would they behaved in a similar manner if the complaint was not against Mr. Jaiswal? Are they scared to file a complaint against the civic chief?”
D.S. Swami, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone-I, said he was not aware of the incident. “But the complainant should approach the senior police inspector again and I will also speak with the officer concerned . We are not biased against anyone.”
Last week, Sandip Malvi, a senior official from the TMC, was allegedly beaten up by a mob when he was clearing encroachments and illegal structures on roads. The next day, Mr. Jaiswal hit the streets with his team to clear encroachments.
While clearing the roads, Mr. Jaiswal was seen manhandling an auto driver and a private car driver, while his security guards beat up a man accompanying an elderly woman. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis refused to comment on the senior IAS officer’s behaviour.
