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Pune farmers held, cops go scot-free by Mihir Tanksale


PUNE: Far from taking exemplary action against the policemen who fired at protesting farmers killing four of them, the Pune rural police on Thursday turned the tables and arrested five farmers for attacking the police and damaging their property. They were also charged with criminal conspiracy. Worse, the two officers who were seen firing at farmers running away from the police in television clippings are now facing a routine government inquiry.

"I have only sent their names (the cops who fired) to the government. The government will decide whether the firing resorted to by the officers was as per the rules or against the rules," said IGP Tukaram Chavan, who refused to give the names of the two officers to the media. He emphasized that the two officers who chased the mob and fired with their service revolvers were not suspended.

To possibly shield themselves from the accusation that they have not acted against their own, six constables were suspended for damaging vehicles of protesting farmers. The action came after opposition parties demanded suspension of the cops who fired at the farmers.

Superintendent of police, Pune (Rural), Sandeep Karnik denied his officers had fired at the protesters from close range.

Machindra Tile, brother-in-law of Moreshwar Sathe who was killed in the firing, had on Wednesday alleged that Sathe was dragged from the crowd and then shot at point blank range. The farmers were protesting during Maval bandh on Tuesday. The cops said they were forced to fire as the protesters had turned violent and had attacked the officers. "An inquiry has been ordered. If we are wrong, we will be punished," Karnik said.

Times View

Photographic evidence of the incident in Pune shows that cops fired on people as they were running away. This amounts to cold-blooded murder. The logical follow-up action should have been suspension of the police officials involved and filing of murder charges against them. It is shocking that, far from pursuing this course, the Maharashtra government has chosen to book the farmers. This smacks of miscarriage of justice, and cries out for judicial intervention.