1 held for video-shooting in ration office, assaulting staff

A 28-year-old man was arrested by DN Nagar Police on Wednesday for assaulting a government official in the rationing office. The accused, Shahrukh Shaikh, abused and assaulted ration officials when they objected to his video recording in a government office.

According to police, Shaikh, had submitted an Right to Information (RTI) query at the rationing office in Andheri (W). When he went to pick up the response from the office on Wednesday morning, he was asked to come back after three hours, since some papers had yet to be photocopied.

Accordingly, in the evening Shaikh went to pick up the papers. Officials noticed he had placed his phone in his shirt pocket and was recording a video. Raju Gaikwad, the rationing officer, asked Shaikh to turn off his phone as it is illegal to shoot a video in a government office. However, he continued to do so. Some officials then tried to snatch away his phone, following which he began abusing and assaulting Gaikwad and others.

The officials then contacted the police control room and a DN Nagar police team reached the spot. Police immediately arrested Shaikh and booked him under relevant Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections pertaining to assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge duty and the Official Secrets Act sections.

During the probe, Shaikh confessed to having videotaped the incident “to show the laidback attitude of the rationing officials”. He was produced in a local court on Thursday and sent to judicial custody, said police.