The Pimpri police have arrested a 32-year-old man for allegedly attacking an assistant police inspector (API) of Pimpri traffic department on Sunday. It is the fifth attack on traffic police personnel reported in two months.
The accused has been identified as Manoj Satish Waghmare (31) of Gandhinagar in Pimpri.
According to police officials, the incident happened around 9:45 am when 55-year-old API Raju Tanaji Chaudhari was deputed at Karachi Chowk to monitor vehicular movement. Chaudhari in his complaint alleged that he had a heated argument with the accused over blocking the traffic. When Chaudhari asked the accused to remove his vehicle to clear traffic, the latter started abusing, and slapped Chaudhari.
Chaudhari said the accused caught him by the collar and tore his service uniform. API Deepak Domb said, “Immediately after the complaint was filed by Chaudhari, we arrested the suspect. The accused said that he attacked the traffic police over the frustration of waiting for long due to traffic jam.’’
On October 15, a traffic policeman from Pimpri-Chinchwad police department was severely injured after a youth hit him on his head with a beer bottle. The cop was injured seriously and admitted in hospital. In another incident, a 30-year-old man was arrested for assaulting a traffic constable in Chinchwad.
On October 3, accused Hansraj Dagadu Thakare (38) of Chinchwad hit a constable on his face and head following a heated argument over parking his car at old Jakat Naka Chowk in Chinchwad. The accused even tried to run over the traffic warden. In another such incident on August 26, a duty traffic police personnel was dragged 800 metres on the bonnet of a car in Nigdi after he attempted to stop the vehicle of the accused. The cop suffered head and leg injuries.
Pimpri-Chinchwad police commissionerate’s recent data of attacks on traffic cops state that 178 cases were reported in the last four years.
The department claimed that traffic cops manning the city’s busy streets are most vulnerable to these attacks, especially during peak hours.
Cases of cops being dragged on the vehicle’s bonnet by traffic violators were witnessed in Nigdi and Pimpri recently.
Anand Bhoite, deputy commissioner of police (DCP), traffic, said, “Considering the festival rush, cops are deployed to ease the jam but such incidences are discouraging for us. The attacks on traffic cops are increasing, hence, we have decided to lodge cases against the violators.”
A case has been registered with Pimpri police station under Sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).