Rural police superintendent Sandip Karnik issued the suspension order in connection with vandalising the vehicles parked on Mumbai-Pune expressway.
Heads have started rolling in the police following the police firing on Tuesday on farmers that killed three of them, including a woman. Six police constables of Pune rural police were on Thursday suspended by Pune rural police for damaging vehicles by throwing stones and with lathis.
“These erring policemen were seen in the video clipping damaging the vehicles,’’ police officials said, adding that five more villagers were arrested on Thursday for rioting.
The superintendent of Pune rural police, Sandeep Karnik, told media persons on Thursday that it was a “criminal conspiracy” on the part of agitators and their leaders to resort to violence. “The agitators had brought stones with them during the protests,’’ he claimed, questioning this motive of the villagers.
Karnik also questioned how a peaceful agitation had turned violent suddenly. “This requires criminal conspiracy and intention. This was planned violence. All agitators will be booked for criminal conspiracy and rioting,’’ he said.
Karnik said some policemen and officers have been found at fault for damaging private vehicles which were parked off the expressway. “An enquiry has been initiated against them and action will be taken against them,’’ he said.
Those suspended have been identified as constables MA Wadge, JH Korde, SS Gengje, RB Bhagwat, VB Nagre and MM Zankar.
Six police officers fired 56 bullets from their service pistols/ revolvers and 34 rubber bullets were fired from self-loading rifles, Karnik said.
“The police fired only rubber bullets from SLRs and bullets from their service revolver or pistol. When the firing took place, we were scattered and a mob had encircled a few policemen. Hence, they were forced to open fire,’’ he said.
Asked how and when trouble broke out, he said after policemen started detaining a few agitators, the mob first stoned a police van and then set fire to it. The mob also tried to overturn another van containing some policemen. Hence, the policemen decided to open fire,’’ he said.
Karnik denied one of the three victims killed in the police firing, Moreshwar Sathe, was killed in cold blood. “The police do not believe in killing anyone in cold blood. We attempted to detain him at the site of the agitation. He was made to sit in the police van parked nearby. But it is not known when he escaped. It is not known how he died of the bullet injury,’’ he added.
A close friend of Sathe, Vasant Barku Garade, who was present at the site, claimed: “Four policemen nabbed Sathe and took him to the police van. They made him sit inside the van for a while,’’ he said.
“After five minutes, we saw him alighting from the van. He was walking towards us and the policemen were standing with their guns near the van. As he was walking, the police fired at him and a bullet hit him,’’ Garade claimed.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}