Mumbai Police on Thursday ordered an investigation after a video showed a policeman threatening student protesters with fabricated drug cases if they returned to protest.
The video, which spread on social media, sparked a wave of anger and prompted the authorities to suspend the policeman pending investigation. The action against the policeman, identified as Pawan Sanjal, comes amid the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests in Delhi, with its supporters also holding similar demonstrations in Mumbai over the past few days.
The widely circulated clip shows a police driver warning the detained students that they will be implicated in false drug cases and spend the rest of their lives in prison if they participate in further demonstrations.
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He ordered an investigation against the policeman
The Mumbai Police has ordered an investigation against Pawan Sanjal, who has been appointed as a police driver.
“After taking the video seriously, the state government has ordered an investigation against Pawan Sanjal, who was posted as a driver. He has also been suspended from his post until the investigation against him is completed,” a senior state government official confirmed.
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“It will ruin your lives”: a policeman to the demonstrators
The video shows a group of young men inside a police car after they were apparently arrested from a protest site.
A policeman sitting in the front can be heard telling them to go home and warning them not to join future protests.
The policeman tells the students in the video: “If you see me here again, I will ruin your life.”
Then he continues to threaten them with a fabricated drug case.
The policeman is heard saying in the video: “I will put 50-50 grams of powder in your bags and your life will be over.”
He also tells the protesters that their demonstrations have made his life difficult and warns them not to participate in any further unrest.
The video quickly sparked widespread criticism online, with Congress sharing it on X and demanding action against the policeman.
The incident comes amid a wave of student protests in Mumbai over the past few days.
Thousands of students took to the streets in solidarity with the agitation led by the Sarsoor Janta Party (CJP) in New Delhi, demanding accountability from the government over alleged examination irregularities.
