Thane cops assure impartial probe into bar assault

KALYAN: Thane police on Tuesday assured a Dombivli hotelier of an impartial probe against senior inspector Vijaysingh Pawar, who was caught on CCTV cameras smashing liquor bottles and assaulting staff.
Madhavi Shahastrabudhe and her husband, Chandrakant, who run Chandu Palace Bar in Dombivli, had alleged that Pawar was harassing them as they did not bribe him Rs 50 lakh. Pawar claimed that during rounds he saw the bar was open around 3am, beyond the permissible 1.30am, so he took action.
The Shahastrabudhes claimed that they had doubts about getting justice from local police so they had written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and met additional commissioner of police Prataprao Dighavkar, who assured them "justice".
Madhavi told TOI that at the Thane police commissioner's office they met Dighavkar, who said a departmental probe had been initiated. She added, "Our staff were cleaning the hotel and locking the main door when Pawar entered from the rear gate deliberately to harass us."
Shahastrabudhe said in her complaint that Pawar was targeting her as she could not pay him Rs 50 lakh to drop a false food poisoning case against her husband. "We paid him Rs 5 lakh, but he is harassing us as we could not pay the remaining amount."
Dighavkar said, "I have assured the family of an impartial investigation by an ACP level official."