Cop assault: Panel’s report to be delayed

The seven-member panel appointed by the state legislature to investigate the thrashing of police sub-inspector Sachin Suryavanshi in Vidhan Bhavan on March 19 has decided to question some more persons related to the case, which is likely to delay its report to next week. These could include doctors who treated Suryavanshi, and a few police officers.

The panel headed by senior MLA Ganpatrao Deshmukh screened the CCTV footage at the control room on the ground floor of Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday. It found that the footage was not clear enough to arrive at a conclusion, said sources. The panel also watched footage from the CCTV cameras installed in other parts of the lobby on the first floor, but the endeavour proved futile as no conclusive images were captured in them too, the sources added. There are six CCTV cameras in the first-floor lobby of Vidhan Bhavan.

The panel found that apart from being unclear, the footage only shows the backs of the attackers. Two of the five MLAs suspended for the incident have been captured in the footage, but their faces are not visible, according to sources.

The panel has decided to summon doctors from St George’s Hospital, where Suryavanshi was treated after he was assaulted. They are expected to depose before the panel in the next two days. A few senior police officers also are expected to be summoned before the panel. Some of the panel members have reservations about the meeting convened by IPS officers on the day Suryavanshi was attacked, and want to question them about it.

The call records of the mobile phone belonging to Suryavanshi at the time of the attack are also expected to be screened by the panel. It wants to check who was in touch with the police officer immediately after the attack.

Victim did not suffer major injury: Hospital reports
HT Correspondent
htmetro@hindustantimes.com
Mumbai: Two hospitals that treated police sub-inspector Sachin Suryavanshi after he was attacked have stated in their reports that there was no major injury to him and all tests were within normal limits.

The reports obtained from state-run St George Hospital and Bombay Hospital where Suryavanshi was treated after the attack have stated that the pain the patient complained of was managed with conservative medicines.

The police officer was admitted to St George Hospital immediately after he was attacked. The various investigations and tests including CT scan of brain and cervical spine and X-ray were within normal limits. He complained of sudden chest pain and breathlessness at 9pm on the day of admission. The patient started full diet from the next day, the report states.

After Surayavanshi requested treatment at a private hospital, he was shifted to the ICCU of Bombay Hospital the next day. A CT scan performed at the hospital found left chest pain following trauma. The ultrasound examination shows no evidence of pleural effusion on either side of the chest.

The reports are significant in the backdrop of the alleged request by a senior police officer to the doctors of JJ group of hospitals, which governs St George, to mention that the patient had serious injuries after the attack.