Human rights panel seeks FIR against Pune cops over minors tied to police car bonnet

The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission has recommended an FIR against senior Pune police officers over alleged custodial torture and the public parading of minors tied to a vehicle bonnet. The order says the episode exposed grave violations of juvenile justice safeguards and a wider failure of police accountability.

In Short

• Minors were tied to police vehicle bonnet and paraded publicly, exposing them to mob violence
• Human Rights Commission orders FIR against senior Pune police for custodial torture, illegal detention
• Police Commissioner and others accused of neglect and weak action despite knowing about incident

The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission has recommended that a First Information Report be registered against senior Pune police officials over allegations of custodial torture, illegal detention and parading minors by tying them to the bonnet of a vehicle.

In an order citing serious human rights violations and a collapse of the rule of law, the Commission directed the Maharashtra Director General of Police to treat its fact-finding inquiry report as an FIR.

The full bench of the Commission, comprising Chairman Justice AM Badar and members Sanjay Kumar and Swapna Joshi, also said that since the allegations include Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar, an officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police, the investigation should be entrusted to an officer of the same rank or above.

“We recommend that as allegations are also against the present Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, who is an officer of the rank of the Additional Director General of Police, necessary care of entrusting the investigation to the officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Police or above should be taken by the Director General of Police,” the order said.

The preliminary fact-finding inquiry was carried out by a three-member committee comprising Special Inspector General of Police Dattatraya Karale, Superintendent of Police Vishwas Pandhare, and MSHRC Registrar Vijay Kedar. According to the Commission, the committee’s two-part report brought out details of police brutality and systematic psychological torture.

As per the report, on July 21 this year, personnel from Bharti Vidyapeeth police station tied three minors detained in a murder case to the bonnet of a police vehicle with ropes fastened to the side mirrors.

The “Children in Conflict with Law” were then publicly paraded from Ambegaon Pathar outpost to the police station while senior police inspector Mansingh Patil announced on a loudspeaker that they were suspects in a murder case.

The report said the parade exposed the frightened minors to mob violence, with relatives of the deceased trying to assault them.

The inquiry also found that the minors were subjected to severe custodial violence, including beatings with fibre batons and bamboo sticks. It said they were unlawfully kept in police lockups beyond the statutory limit from July 20 to July 24 before being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board. The committee also flagged a separate incident involving the custodial beating and public shaming of four adults accused in another case.

The MSHRC said Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar knew about the viral videos on the day of the incident but only transferred the officers involved and issued what it called a weak show-cause notice on withholding increment. It observed that Kumar, DCP Milind Mohite and ACP Rahul Aware abetted the offenders by failing to act, neglecting the protection of human rights and attempting a “one-sided” inquiry.

Invoking Section 18(c) of the Protection of Human Rights Act and referring to the Supreme Court’s ruling in Lalita Kumari v. Govt. of UP, the Commission said registration of an FIR was mandatory when cognisable offences were disclosed.

When law enforcement officers weaponise their authority to inflict such treatment on a child, they do not uphold the Rule of Law but utterly dismantle it,” the Commission said, while also pointing to clear violations of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Overall, the Commission’s order calls for criminal action against senior officers over the treatment of minors and other accused in custody.

- Ends