By IANS,
Mumbai : A day after eight Indian Police Service (IPS) officers were served with notices, Mumbai police faced another embarrassment Saturday after five officers, including one from the IPS, were caught on tape attending a Christmas-eve party thrown by the underworld.
A police enquiry into the incident has recommended suspension of Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishwas Salve, Assistant Commissioner of Police Prakash Wani, head of Chembur police station, Senior Police Inspector R.S. Khakale, Crime Branch Inspector Praful Phadke and Crime Branch Assistant Sub-Inspector T. Salunkhe for attending the bash.
The party was thrown in a private club in Chembur, a northeast Mumbai suburb, in which the cops were seen eating, drinking and dancing with the underworld men.
The party was ostensibly to celebrate the release of D.K. Rao, a mafia don belonging to the Chhota Rajan gang, from 31 serious cases earlier last year.
Video-clips of the party, telecast by a Mumbai TV channel Friday evening, showed the policmen celebrating in gay abandon with the criminals even as a huge contingent of cops maintained law and order all over the city on the night of Dec 24-25.
“Police have gathered sufficient evidence in the matter to recommend suspension of these policemen,” a crime branch officer said on condition of anonymity.
Taking serious umbrage at the unprecedented incident, Home Minister R.R. Patil had last week ordered Mumbai Police Commissioner D. Shivanandhan to enquire into the matter.