Pune, June 6 (IANS) An incident has come to light at Pune’s Khadak Police Station in Maharashtra, where an intoxicated youth allegedly assaulted police personnel, shoved senior officers, and issued death threats.

A case has been registered against the accused, identified as Rohan Gautam Salve (26), under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Maharashtra Police Act, and the Maharashtra Prohibition Act.

According to the police complaint, Police Constable Chandrashekhar Sharanappa Hunchalgi was on ‘Marshal’ duty along with his colleague, Sagar Kandilkar, in the Phadgate police outpost area on the night of June 4. The two officers were patrolling the locality and responding to calls received from the police control room.

At around 2 a.m. on June 5, the control room received information that Jayshree Hotel on Tilak Road was operating beyond permissible hours. Acting on the tip-off, the two officers reached the spot. There, they found a young man engaged in a heated argument with a woman.

Upon inquiry, it was revealed that the youth had been recording a video of the woman on his mobile phone. When she objected, he allegedly began arguing with her and verbally abusing her. The police attempted to intervene and reason with him, but he soon started quarrelling with the officers as well.

The youth identified himself as Rohan Gautam Salve and provided his address as Gultekdi, Pune. The police subsequently brought him to Khadak Police Station for further questioning. According to the complaint, a strong smell of alcohol was emanating from his breath, and he appeared to be heavily intoxicated and unwilling to cooperate.

At approximately 2:20 a.m., Senior Police Inspector Shashikant Chavan, who was on a sector night patrol, arrived at the police station. The officers briefed him about the incident. During questioning, the accused allegedly used abusive language towards the senior officer and challenged him, saying, “What harm can you possibly do to me?”

The complaint states that when Senior Inspector Chavan attempted to verify whether the accused was under the influence of alcohol, Salve began spitting at him and other police personnel present at the station. When officers attempted to restrain him, he allegedly grabbed Police Constable Chandrashekhar Hunchalgi by the collar, twisted his right arm, and kicked him forcefully on the leg, causing injuries.

The accused then allegedly engaged in a scuffle with several police personnel, including Senior Inspector Shashikant Chavan, Police Havaldars Tulsulkar and Modak, Police Constables Salunkhe and Kandilkar, and other officers. According to the complaint, he physically assaulted them with his hands and feet while continuing to hurl abuses and threats.

During the altercation, the accused allegedly threatened the officers, saying, “I already have a Section 307 case against me; it won’t take me long to finish you off.”

He also reportedly threatened Senior Inspector Chavan, saying, “Are you the Senior PI here? I will come back in disguise wearing a burqa or any other guise and tear you apart. I will hack you to pieces with a sickle or a chopper. Courts and legal proceedings are nothing new to me. I have faced a Section 307 case before, and the police couldn’t do anything to me.”

The police personnel eventually managed to overpower and subdue the accused. He was subsequently taken to Sassoon Hospital for a medical examination. Doctors confirmed in their report that he was under the influence of alcohol. His blood samples have been preserved for chemical analysis.

Police Constable Chandrashekhar Hunchalgi, who sustained injuries during the incident, also underwent a medical examination. The complaint states that the accused obstructed police personnel from carrying out their official duties, assaulted them, and issued death threats while they were performing their responsibilities.

A case has been registered against Salve under Sections 121(1), 132, 351(3), and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS); Sections 112 and 117 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951; and Section 85 of the Maharashtra Prohibition Act, 1949.

Speaking to IANS, Shashikant Chavan, Senior Police Inspector at Khadak Police Station, said that a previous case had also been registered against Salve at Rajgad Police Station for allegedly striking a police officer on the head with a chair. He added that the court has remanded the accused to three days of police custody, which is scheduled to end on June 7.

According to the police, the accused’s criminal background and the circumstances surrounding the incident are being thoroughly investigated, and further legal action is underway.

–IANS

jk/dan