Kaustuv Lanjewar, a 24-year-old café owner, has experienced hearing loss, possibly permanent, after being slapped without provocation by a constable from the Social Service Branch (SSB) of the Crime Branch during a raid at Gokulpeth on October 5. The police halted the CCTV recording at the start of the raid and later seized the device.
As per the local media report, Lanjewar, who met Commissioner of Police Ravindra Singal to file a complaint, is still recovering from the injury to his left ear caused by the SSB team during the raid. The cafe management also claimed that Rs 8,600 in cash went missing from the counter after the police left. “The cops behaved strangely. I was repeatedly hit like a criminal for reasons best known to the cops,” said Lanjewar, who is a qualified architect.
“We run a herbal sheesha cafe as per the high court guidelines,” he said. Lanjewar’s ear injury was diagnosed and treated at Mayo Hospital, where he also reported the assault at the hospital’s police booth. Sources revealed that this is the second time the SSB team is facing allegations of excessive force, assault, and questionable behavior during a raid.
The SSB team had previously been involved in a controversy following a raid at a spa, where they similarly halted and deleted CCTV footage and assaulted the owner. They claimed to have rescued five girls during the operation, but Dhantoli police were hesitant to file a case, claming the raid as ‘fake.’
It is reported that a senior official had submitted an adverse report against the raid and the officers involved. There have been multiple complaints made to DCP, Crime, Rahul Maknikar, regarding the conduct of the SSB team.
Even before the controversy surrounding the questionable raid at the Dhantoli spa and salon had settled, the SSB team is now facing new allegations for injuring a café owner and stopping the CCTV footage during their operation. While police often view CCTV recordings as crucial evidence, the SSB team’s actions in preventing the recording and assaulting the owner have sparked concerns. “We will look into the allegations,” said DCP Rahul Maknikar
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com