Cop who gave rose to Raj Thackeray not to get pay hike

Mumbai, Dec 26: The constable who greeted Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray with a rose at the party's rally here on Aug 21 will not be getting any increment for three years.

Mumbai Police had issued a show cause notice to Pramod Tawade for going to Azad Maidan, venue of the MNS rally, on that day without informing his superiors. The constable reported for work at 11 am on Aug 21 but left the office an hour later. In the afternoon, he not only turned up at Azad Maidan but also climbed the podium and gave a rose to Raj Thackeray.

Tawade was issued a show cause notice for this. Additional Commissioner Madhu Chavan conducted an inquiry into the incident and indicted the constable of "indiscipline". Now, the Mumbai police have decided to stop Tawade's increment for 2012, 2013 and 2014.

It is worth noting that the constable has courted controversy more than once. In Aug 2010, he complained about the assault by a group of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel. According to Tawade, the CISF men beat him up at Colaba.

The constable again created a stir by sending a "false" wireless message in 2011. Tawade claimed that some policemen had been thrashed but the subsequent probe revealed that he was lying.

Incidentally, Tawade is said to have offered the flower to Raj Thackeray because the latter expressed solidarity with the police and newspersons who were attacked by miscreants on Aug 11 when a few Muslim organisations staged violent protests against the Centre's inaction during the ethnic clashes which had rocked Assam in Jul.

Raj Thackeray slammed the Maharashtra government for not anticipating the violence at Azad Maidan. He pointed out that the police were ill-prepared to deal with armed hooligans and therefore, the mob went to the extent of molesting even policewomen on Aug 11. Several vehicles including police jeeps and outdoor broadcasting vans of TV channels were set ablaze on that day.

OneIndia News