Embarassment for Mumbai police over poem by cop in bulletin

A woman traffic inspector was at the centre of a controversy today over her poem in a Mumbai police in-house journal in which she called last year's Azad Maidan protesters as "snakes" and "traitors" and suggested that their hands should have been "chopped off".

A complaint was filed with the state's home department, Mumbai police Commissioner's office and Azad Maidan police station by Ameen Mustafa Idrisi, who runs an NGO Muslim-e- Hind, and Nazar Mohammed Siddique, one of the arrested accused in the Azad Maidan violence case and now out on bail.

The complainants sought registration of an FIR against Commissioner Satyapal Singh, Joint Police Commissioner (Administration) Hemant Nagarale, and woman inspector Sujata Patil, who penned the verse, publisher and other unknown "conspirators" in connection with the publication of the poem recently in the police department's house journal "Samvad".

Patil has tendered an apology in writing, saying she did not intend to hurt anybody's religious sentiments or any religion after the poem titled "Azad Maidan" that has left Mumbai police embarassed.

"Sujata Patil has already apologised in writing. She has said she did not intend to hurt anybody's religious sentiments or any religion. The written unconditional apology would be published in the next edition of Samwad," Nagarale told PTI. Patil is a traffic police inspector posted at Matunga.

"Hausla buland tha, izzat lut rahi thi...himmat ki gaddaron ne Amar Jyoti ko haath lagane ki, kaat dete haath unke toh faryad kisi ki bhi na hoti...Saanp ko doodh pila kar, baat kare hain hum bhai-chare ki. (Their morale was high, (women) were being dishonoured.

The traitors had the audacity to touch Amar Jawan Jyoti. Had we cut off their hands nobody would have complained. We feed milk to the snakes and then talk of harmony," read the poem.

The complainants have sought the guilty to be booked under sections 295(A)(Maliciously insulting the religion), 298 (uttering or putting such words which insults religion), 504 (insult to provoke breach of peace, 505 (false statement), 120(B)(criminal conspiracy) and 34 (common intention) of IPC.

Patil further suggested that the cops should have played "goliyon ki holi".

On August 11 last year, a demonstration called to protest alleged atrocities on Muslims in Assam and Myanmar had turned violent resulting in the death of two people, injuries to scores others including women police personnel, many of whom were also molested, and massive destruction of property.