Crime and Criminals

Cops can’t get CCTV tape of MLAs

2 Legislators In Judicial Custody

S Ahmed Ali TNN

Mumbai: The tug-of-war between the state’s legislators and the Mumbai police over the assault of a cop inside the House on Tuesday
continued with the legislative assembly dragging its feet on releasing CCTV footage of the incident and the two arrested MLAs spending a night in the crime branch lock-up before being sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Their bail hearing will be taken up on Monday.
    Little business was conducted in the assembly as both Houses were adjourned with some legislators crying insult after TV beamed images of Ram Kadam of the MNS and Kshitij Thakur of the Bahujan Vikas Aghadi being presented in court and others demanding action against cops and revoking of the suspension of the three MLAs not named in the FIR on the assault.
    This sent leaders of political parties into a huddle, and they are expected to announce some measures on Monday, including commuting part or whole of the suspension order and some action against cops. “We will have to do something. This just can’t go on,” said a senior minister.
ROW HOUSE: DAY FOUR
    Crime branch team probing MLAs' assault on traffic sub-inspector Sachin Suryavanshi yet to get CCTV footage from the assembly
    Arrested MLAs Kshitij Thakur and Ram Kadam remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. Bail order reserved for 25th
    Both MLAs refuse to name their colleagues involved in the case
    Both Houses adjourned after business was hit by
legislators protesting the 'insult' of Thakur and Kadam being produced in court
    Senior political leaders to consider commuting suspension of 5 MLAs and some action against the cops who entered the assembly premises illegally Arrested legislators won’t name others who beat cop
Bail Hearing On Monday; Calls To Ease 3 MLAs’ Suspension
    The crime branch probe into the assault on traffic subinspector Sachin Suryavanshi in the House is not progressing with the CCTV footage yet to come from the assembly and arrested MLAs Ram Kadam and Kshitij Thakur refusing to name any of their colleagues. “The duo took the entire responsibility and said they don’t know the other people who assaulted sub-inspector Sachin Suryavanshi,” said a senior police officer.
    Faced with a stalemate, the police produced them before the Esplanade magistrate on Friday afternoon and did not seek further custody as Suryavanshi is in hospital and not in aposition to come for an identification parade. “We don’t want to exhaust the custody period. As and when required, we will seek their custody,” investigating officer Anil Naik told magistrate U M Padwad.
    At this the MLAs sought bail. But Padwad remanded them to judicial custody for 14 days and reserved their bail order for Monday.
    The crime branch has forwarded at least three applications to the assembly secretariat seeking footage but there hasn’t been any action on it. A senior cabinet minister told TOI that releasing the footage is unlikely. “We don’t want this to turn into a precedent for the future and, therefore, the footage will not be handed over at any cost. Nobody can dictate terms to the august House,” said a senior minister.
    Earlier, the council members criticized the police move to produce the arrested MLAs in court for remand application, claiming it could have been done through video-conferencing. “Visuals of the MLAs being escorted by policemen were beamed on television channels. This is an insult of the state legislature and legislators,” said Takle, who was supported by members cutting across party lines.
    Without the crucial camera evidence, police sources said it would be difficult to nail other MLAs in the assault case. While Suryavanshi has named Kadam and Thakur, over a dozen legislators have not been identified. The poor quality of the mobile videos shot by onlookers is not helping. The footage from the security control room of the assembly premises has been vetted and used as evidence against the five suspended MLAs—Kadam, Thakur, Pradeep Jaiswal (Ind), Rajan Salvi (SS) and Jaykumar Rawal (BJP). But the opposition now claims the video evidence is inconclusive and the suspension of Jaiswal, Salvi and Rawal must be revoked.
    The decision not to release the CCTV footage could embarrass the government. “Holding the footage back could raise objectionable questions for the government in the future,” said asenior state official.
    The first application for the footage was made by crime branch inspector P K Nigade on the day of the assault. The other two were subsequently made to the security in-charge of the Assembly.
    Nigade has been suspended by the council for entering the assembly premises without a valid entry pass. He was among the cops the legislators want punished for coming to the assembly on Wednesday in a bid to arrest the MLAs involved in the attack.
    Raising a point of information during question hour in the council, NCP legislator Hemant Takle demanded immediate suspension of Suryavanshi for “unruly behaviour” against the MLAs. As if on cue, members raised questions about the “delay in action” and indicated they won’t allow the House to function till steps are taken against him. In the lower House, too, legislators demanded that suspension of the MLAs be revoked and action taken against Suryavanshi and cops who entered the premises ‘illegally’. “Unless that happens, we will not let this House function normally,” said BJP leader Girish Bapat.
POLICE-PUBLIC REPRESENTATIVE DRAMA DAY TWO IN CUSTODY FOR MLAS 1.00 am
Arrested MLAs
Ram Kadam and Kshitji Thakur sent to crime branch lock-up where 26/11 convict Ajmal Kasab once spent time
    Given separate mats, hard pillows and bedsheet
    Breakfast of poha, omlette and tea in the morning 1.00 pm
After interrogation
about the other MLAs involved in Tuesday’s assault taken to
2.30 pm
a policeman, they are GT hospital for check-up
Duo produced before the Esplanade magistrate. Say they have no complaints Investigating officer says they don’t want further custody as victim is in hospital and cannot come of ID parade
    MLAs seek bail. Magistrate reserves order till Monday, sends duo to judicial custody for 14 days 5.00 pm
Kadam and Thakur taken to Arthur road
jail
HOUSE HUNGAMA MLCs say images of arrested MLAs being presented in court beamed on TV ‘insulting’; ask why it was not done via videoconferencing
No business conducted in the lower House
MLAs of all parties want action against assualted cop for ‘unruly behaviour’ and other cops who entered assembly ‘illegally’
    Want suspension of three MLAs — Pradeep Jaiswal (Ind), Rajan Salvi (SS) and Jaykumar Rawal (BJP) — to be revoked
    Legislators say they won’t allow both Houses to function till action is taken against cops
PROTEST AGAINST PRIVILEGE
    The Press Club, Mumbai, the TV Journalists Association and the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh have jointly condemned the move by both Houses of the Maharashtra assembly to admit privilege motions against two senior journalists — Nikhil Wagle, chief editor of IBN Lokmat, and Raju Khandekar, chief editor of ABP Majha
    Activist Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party has served a legal notice on speaker Dilip Walse-Patil, seeking no further action on the breach of privilege motion against two news channels. On Thursday, under pressure from MLAs, the speaker had accepted the motion and forwarded it to the Special Privileges Committee for further investigation and action.
    MNS leader Raj Thackeray too denounced the privilege motion
KADAM CHECKMATES COPS | Police tried to detain MLA Ram Kadam in connection with two earlier cases. Getting whiff of the move, his lawyer is supposed to have got anticipatory bail for him in two cases. They are:
    On Jan 18, 2013, after BMC sub-engineer Mahesh Phad demolished an illegal structure in Ghatkopar, Kadam threatened him. Later, his supporters barged into Phad’s office and attacked him STATUS | Police arrested MNS supporters; Kadam’s role is being investigated
    On Dec 2011, Santa Cruz police booked Kadam for assaulting police officers in the stationhouse after they disturbed his drinking session by shutting down a lounge on Juhu Tara Road operating beyond the 1.30am deadline STATUS | Chargesheet filed