Mumbai traffic police have come under fire after an official towed away a car that had a woman breastfeeding a baby inside. The whole incident has been captured on camera. After the outrage, the police suspended one of its constables and ordered a probe.
Here’s the video:
Car was towed by Traffic Police while the women with her 7 years old baby was sitting in the car.
(Her FB Live)Yesterday at SV Rd, Malad.@MumbaiPolice plz look into the matter.@PreetiSMenon @aartic02 @neo_pac @tarsemkpahi @Georgekurian4K @RidlrMUM @smart_mumbaikar pic.twitter.com/ZVPtSYYFdM— Muzzammil Hamidani (@MuzzammilAap) November 11, 2017
The woman can be seen sitting in the rear seat with a baby. She is pleading with the traffic policemen to stop and even flashes a piece of paper – apparently her medical prescription – saying she is unwell.
In the video, she is seen claiming to be sick and telling the cops to be careful as her child is breastfeeding. The video also shows a passerby urging the police to spare the woman, but the cop appears unperturbed by it and continues speaking on the mobile phone and towing the car.
The woman, identified as Jyoti Male, later told the media that the constable did not ask her to get down even once.
“The policemen towing the car did not even once ask me to get down, even when I told them that I am breastfeeding my baby they still did not stop,” she told news agency ANI.
The incident reportedly occurred at Malad in the western suburbs of Mumbai on Friday around 4.30 pm.
As per a Mumbai Mirror report, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic) Amitesh Kumar ordered a probe and suspended the traffic policeman in question who is identified as Shashank Rane.
The cop’s defense
The report quoted sources saying that the car was parked in a no-parking spot and the woman’s husband had gone for some work in the nearby building. The cop also said in his defence that the woman got into the vehicle only after they started towing it away.
He further said that it was her partner who shot the video and uploaded on Facebook and social networking sites.