The Mumbai court has recently sentenced a Maharashtra State Reserve Police Force “armed constable” to 2 ½ years in prison for abandoning his rifle unattended at a Mumbai railway station and evading Naxalite ‘bandobast’ duty in Gadchiroli district 12 years ago.
The convicted individual, Pramod Patil, was found guilty of an offense punishable under the relevant sections of the Bombay State Reserve Police Force Act by Additional Sessions Judge NP Tribhuwan on Friday, August 4.
As per the prosecution’s account, the DGP of Maharashtra issued a directive to deploy a police contingent from the SRPF, consisting of four officers and 102 other personnel, for Naxalite ‘bandobast’ duty in Gadchiroli district. The designated officers and police personnel, including constables, were provided with official arms, ammunition, bedding, and other essential items.
For their departure to Gadchiroli via train, the personnel, accompanied by official vehicles, assembled on platform No. 18 of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station in south Mumbai on August 9, 2011.
Furthermore, the Naxalite-affected district in eastern Maharashtra in located around 750km from Mumbai.
Patil, identified as an “armed constable” and part of the SRPF team en route to Gadchiroli, was assigned a 7.62mm self-loading rifle (SLR).
The police added, however, the accused disobeyed the DGP’s order and without his permission, left the rifle at the platform unattended. He then went away in order to avoid joining duty.
In court’s order, the prosecution has successfully established the guilt of the accused for the offense punishable under the Bombay State Reserve Police Force Act.
The additional sessions judge in his verdict noted, “There is cogent, trustworthy and reliable evidence of prosecution witnesses.”
