Maha MLAs get clean chit; cop faces probe

- House panel admits cop beaten up by MLAs - Claims, however, injuries are not serious - Calls for inquiry against SI Sachin Suryavanshi

Mumbai (PTI): The House committee set up to probe the alleged thrashing of a police officer by a group of legislators in the Maharashtra Legislature premises last month has recommended departmental inquiry against the concerned police personnel and revocation of suspension of three of the 5 MLAs.

Reading out the recommendations of the committee, Speaker Dilip Walse Patil said on Thursday that the panel had found the conduct of traffic sub-inspector Sachin Suryavanshi with legislator Kshitij Thakur on the Bandra Worli sea link on March 18 as "objectionable."

The committee has recommended departmental inquiry against Suryavanshi. Admitting that the police officer was beaten up in the Vidhan Bhavan premises on March 19, the panel also found that the nature of injuries was not serious.

The panel has not found proof of involvement of three MLAs - Rajan Salvi (Shiv Sena), Pradeep Jaiswal (Independent) and Jaykumar Raval (BJP) - in beating of the police personnel. It recommended that their suspension be revoked in the budget session itself. It said the other two MLAs - Kshitij Thakur and Ram Kadam - thrashed the cop. "Criminal cases have also been filed against the two legislators. Their suspension be revoked," it said.