After 12 days of the incident, cases have been registered against the sub-inspector and the woman lawyer for indulging in a fight with the BJP councillor who had slapped the cop at his restaurant over a tiff. The councillor was arrested and sent to jail barely a day after the incident occurred.
BJP’s rank and file have been reportedly pressurising the officials to take action against Sub-Inspector Sukhpal Panwar and the woman lawyer. There was dissatisfaction over the alleged one-sided action of the police. On the complaint of the woman lawyer, police had registered a case against BJP councillor Manish Panwar and arrested him. The SI was however attached to the police lines. Ever since BJP leaders have been demanding to register cases against the woman lawyer and the SI as well.
“I do not approve of the incident but action should be taken against both the sides,” former BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpayee had said after the incident.
Finally, the police decided to book the SI as well as the woman lawyer. This action was undertaken reportedly after the intervention of the minister in-charge of the district Siddharth Nath Singh during his visit to the city on Sunday. Henceforth on Monday, a case was registered against the SI and the lawyer on the complaint of restaurant manager Sanjeev Dhama.
However, denying any political interference and pressure, circle officer Pankaj Singh said that cases of beating, threat, and fatal attack have been registered at Kankerkhera police station.
SI Sukhpal Panwar and the woman lawyer had gone to the Black Pepper Restaurant of Kankerkhera area on October 18 which is owned by the BJP councillor. The duo had gone there to discuss a case over dinner. Reportedly, a war of words started between the woman and the restaurant staff due to a delay in serving of food which ended in a brawl in which the SI and the owner also got involved.
The SI started making a video clip after which his phone was snatched and the councillor slapped him. The whole incident was recorded in the CCTV cameras of the restaurant. Later, the woman registered a case against the councillor and his staff after which he was arrested. The SI too faced a departmental action and he was attached to the police lines and a probe was ordered against him.
BJP’s Mahanagar president Mukesh Singhal said that the delay in registering cases against the SI and the woman lawyer has sent a wrong message among the party workers. He claimed that it was the only issue he raised before the minister during his visit on Sunday and requested for his intervention in the matter.