13 May,2011 06:29 AM IST | | Kaumudi Gurjar
Wife of army officer allegedly harassed by Cantonment police officials for clicking pictures of synagogue 'without permission'
An Ahmedabad-based research scholar, who clicked pictures of a Jewish synagogue as there was no signboard prohibiting photography, was thrashed by a plainclothes woman officer yesterday as she dared to ask for the cop's identity. When a policeman told Anuradha Bhattacharjee -- in the city to study the presence of Jewish community and its contribution to society -- that clicking pictures of the synagogue on Ambedkar Road was not allowed, she complied and immediately put the camera in her bag.
Shocked: Research scholar Anuradha Bhattacharjee at Cantonment
police station yesterday
But then a plainclothes woman officer emerged on the scene and gruffly asked Bhattacharjee, wife of a senior army officer, to accompany her to the police station. When the research scholar asked what was her crime, the officer allegedly instructed a baton-wielding woman constable to beat her up. And when Bhattacharjee asked for the officer's identity, she completely lost her cool and slapped the researcher. Soon a vehicle arrived at the scene and whisked her away to the Cantonment Police station.
One of the photographs of the synagogue clicked by her, for which
she was humiliated by the police
Bhattacharjee, who claims to have no ulterior motive behind clicking the pictures, kept defending her act as there was no signboard saying photography is banned. Seeing no respite, she informed her army officer husband about the incident and rippling impact could be seen outside the police station. A cavalcade of army cars came to a screeching halt outside the police station, apparently prompting the cops to stop further harassing the woman.
But the cops allegedly let her go only on the condition that she won't speak to the media about this episode. But she still narrated her story to MiD DAY. "The police are terrorising people. Is it a fault to ask an officer for his her/her identity? I am law abiding citizen and educated person. Why would I take the law in my hand?" she asked.
According to Bhattacharjee, she is pursuing a research paper on the presence of Jewish community in India and its contribution to society, which will be submitted to Monash University, Australia. Retired Army Officer Major SCN Jathar supported the woman. He said that the police should have put sign boards prohibiting photography. Jathar added that the police need sensitisation on how to talk respectfully with people. Cantonment Police Station in charge Sushma Chavan said the allegations were baseless. "The matter is resolved and we will put a board saying photography is banned near the synagogue," she said.
