Moneylife:
Pune: Saturday, 05 December 2015.
Pune based
Constable Jayashree Mane, began to file RTI applications vigorously after
attending a workshop on RTI in 2011. She has filed over 200 RTI applications to
expose fraud in duty hour register records of constables and illegal stay by
unauthorised persons in official police quarters in Pune police lines and several
other corruption issues. For this exemplary public spirit, she has now been
punished by expulsion from the police service.
The order
which was issued on 26th August by Deputy Police Commissioner Tushar Joshi,
states the following reasons for the ``removal
from service’’ for this whistleblower’s actions on one particular date of 22nd
August, 2013:
•
You intentionally remained in the Police headquarters to
submit your complaint to the Reserved Police Inspector, Headquarters, Shivaji
Nagar, Pune, violating your order to join the RCP2 mobile van opposite the
Collector’s Office on 22/8/2013, for bandobast duty
•
Despite being fully aware of the formalities for the
submission of a complaint in the Inward Register, you forcibly submitted the
same at Reserve Police Inspector, HQ, Shivaji Nagar, Pune and therefore you
used coercive measures to lodge the complaint. You lodged a false complaint of
misconduct meted to you by a Reserved Police Inspector Mr Suryavanshi, stating
that he came towards you in an aggressive manner, threatened and abused you.
•
Also, it has been found that Suryavanshi, who you have
made a complaint against, was in Mumbai on that day, hence it is a false
complaint by you. You also made the above complaint against Mr Suryavanshi, in
a conversation with the wireless control room. As per the Police Rules, this
amounts to using the wireless message system for wrongful and illegal use of
conversation of personal nature.
•
Despite being fully aware that it was your duty to be on
the RCP mobile van on time to handle the law and order situation, you
intentionally did not stay there on time.
· The order concludes: `The public image of the police
force is damaged due to your irresponsible actions. Your behaviour may prove
harmful and have an adverse impact on the discipline and behaviour of other
police personnel.’
Mane has been
given the opportunity to appeal to Director General of Police, Maharashtra. She
has recently submitted a 54-page appeal letter, counteracting the above
allegations and seeking justice for ``malicious’’ action by senior police
officers. Mane alleges, that she has
suffered because of being a whistle blower.
In May last
year, Mane was on duty at gate no2 of Shivajinagar Police Headquarters, when,
at around 9.30pm, Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Machhindra Shinde, senior to her
and guarding gate no1, slapped her for having used RTI because of which he had
to vacate his room in the police line which he had illegally occupied. She did
not get any justice at the police station where she went to file a FIR against
him. This writer, along with other RTI activists sought an appointment with the
then Pune Police Commissioner Satish Mathur with a petition seeking immediate
lodging of FIR, putting up the information that Mane has sought uptil now,
which comprises 200 RTI applications on its website and treating this case as
one of sexual harassment at workplace. Commissioner Mathur assured action but
nothing happened.
This
propelled this writer and RTI activist Akshay Dawadikar to take recourse to the
online grievance cell of Maharashtra unit of the National Commission for Women
-NCW. The online complaint appealed for immediate lodging of FIR by Mane
against PSI Shinde. It states, “no FIR was lodged today and instead Women
Constable Jayashree Mane was insulted and sent away by PI Mehendale when she went
to file FIR. Vinita Deshmukh and Akshay Dawadikar had met Police Commissioner
Satish Mathur at 12 noon on 5th May appealing him to lodge FIR against the
accused Machindra Shinde, but despite our written appeal nothing has been done.
Hence at 5.15pm Vinita Deshmukh lodged online complaint with Maharashtra's
National Commission for women.
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