The police enquiry report on the arrest of two girls of Palghar in Thane district who lamented in a Facebook post the shutdown in the city due to Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray’s funeral, has recommended departmental action against police officers, according to sources in the police department.
The report prepared by the Inspector General of Police (Konkan Division) was submitted to the Director General of Police, Maharashtra on Friday. According to sources in the police department the report concluded that applying IPC sections 295 (a) and 505 (2) on both girls was wrong. However, State’s Home Department officials have not confirmed the report yet.
Shaheen Dhada and Renu Srinivasan, both in their early 20s, were arrested by the Palghar police on Monday for questioning the Mumbai bandh that followed Thackeray’s death. Soon after, a clinic belonging to Ms. Dhada’s uncle was ransacked by an irate mob of Shiv Sainiks.
In the aftermath of the arrest of the two girls in Thane district Home Minister R. R. Patil on Thursday said that the State police would henceforth seek legal opinion before conducting arrests pertaining to the Indian IT Act. He also warned warning that if the arrests were ordered owing to the pressure of some external party, then the errant police officers would be severely dealt with.
