Upset with his portrayal as a “dumb and slow” officer in the recent Netflix series Delhi Crime about December 15, 2012, Delhi gang-rape, Inspector Anil Sharma is planning to take legal action against director Richie Mehta and his team, a police officer told IANS on Monday.
Sharma, now a Station House Officer of Lodhi Colony Police Station commended by his seniors for his painstaking investigation that put all the accused behind the bars, told IANS that his depiction in the show was fabricated for “commercial profit.”
Despite citing the disclaimer at the end of each episode of the show stating that “names have been changed, and some of the events, dialogue and chronology have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes”, he felt insulted for being portrayed as a slow and dumb officer who shrugs off responsibility and is often scolded by then DCP Chhaya Sharma played by Shefali Shah (with a different character name).
When Richie Mehta was asked whether the series insulted Delhi Police, he gave a differing view. “It’s a well-researched and painstakingly-made series, which will make you see the police in a new light. We tried to represent the roadblocks the cops have to deal with while working on a case, be it lack of funds or manpower,” he said.
Sharma, who was the then SHO of Vasant Vihar Police Station when the crime took place, said he regularly met with the victim when she was hospitalised here and spent time with her.
“I lost my ailing father Harbans Lal Sharma and elder brother Sanjay Sharma during the trial. My brother fell down in the residence in my absence and later died of excess bleeding. I was bathing my brother’s body for the last rites and at the same time, I got a call from my senior officer about the case, I immediately skipped the last rites and reported to the officer without telling about the tragedy,” he said.
A senior police officer from Delhi also had something to say about the show.
“The entire series based on Nirbhaya gang rape investigation has insulted the Delhi Police, the senior officers of the Special Investigation Team and Inspector Anil Sharma. It was purely teamwork and Sharma was dealing with the twin responsibility being the investigating officer and SHO.”
Sharma was also hurt with being shown going to the gym to unwind when the police team was on a lookout for the absconding. The officer said that he was a national-level athlete and never had been a “gym-goer.”
Despite his claim that the director had apologized to him, he felt his dignity and respect had been lost. He stated that a disclaimer was not sent to the Delhi Police before the show went on air.
“I am preparing a CD marking derogatory contents with its timing from the initial episode to the last. I am in touch with my advocate and am planning to take legal action including a defamation suit,” added Sharma.