Asked to pay, cops frame dhaba owner in fake case
A police inspector and two constables have been suspended in Uttar Pradesh's Etah district for allegedly booking and arresting a dhaba (roadside eatery) owner and nine others in a fake case, reports say. All this was done after the eatery owner reportedly asked two policemen to pay for the food they had consumed there. Here are more details on this.
The incident reportedly took place on February 4
The dhaba owners and some customers who reportedly intervened on his behalf were arrested by the police on February 4. A press note released that day says the "arrested" men were trying to smuggle alcohol and drugs. Six country-made revolvers, 12 live cartridges, two kilograms of ganja (cannabis), and 80 liters of illicit liquor were recovered, the press note claimed.
Cops never paid for food, says dhaba owner's brother
However, according to the dhaba owner's brother, the actual story was far different. "On February 4, at 2 pm, some policemen were eating food at my dhaba. My brother was there...I was at home. These cops had an argument with my brother over paying for the food. They were regulars (but) never paid for their food," Praveen Kumar reportedly told the media.
'Policemen beat up my brother, foisted cases'
Kumar alleges the cops were drunk and beat up his brother, abused and threatened him. "They went away saying there would be retaliation. Later two police jeeps came to my dhaba and took everyone, including my brother and customers who intervened on his behalf, to the police station. They foisted cases...saying illicit liquor had been recovered from my brother (sic)," he said.
Dhaba owner, 9 others are still in jail
"They even said my brother fired six rounds from a country-made revolver at them...They had picked up 11 people, let off one and the rest are in jail," Kumar added. The police action against the accused cops has come more than 40 days after the incident, and only after senior officials were informed of the matter following which they ordered an inquiry.
Inquiry shifted to Aligarh to ensure fairness, says official
"Serious allegations were made against the then-in-charge of the Kotwali Dehat Police Station. I asked the SP (Crime) of Etah to inquire and, prima facia, the allegations are being proved," Rajeev Krishna, an Additional DGP-rank officer, said in a statement. "The inquiry has been shifted out of Etah to Aligarh to ensure fairness," the officer added.
