NEW DELHI: A court has ordered registration of an FIR against a police officer for allegedly assaulting a street dog with a lathi while performing patrolling duty in Jaffrabad.Metropolitan magistrate Bharat Agarwal observed that the facts disclosed by the complainants and the documents on record showed commission of various cognisable and non-cognisable offences, requiring a police probe. It pointed out that police had chosen to conduct a full-fledged inquiry by recording statements of not only the complainants and the alleged accused but also of several others to eventually reach the conclusion that the complaints were “unsubstantiated”. “The report effectively states that the proposed accused assaulted the dog, yet no action is required to be taken and there is no need to register an FIR as police have determined during ‘inquiry’ that the act of the policeman was in his private defence and that he has not caused any permanent damage to the dog as such and hence, the accused has not have committed any punishable offence,” said the court. The court was hearing two cases against the police official. A video of the alleged incident had gone viral on social media. The court noted that it appeared that police had believed the version of the official without even registering an FIR, the very first step they were obligated to ensure after receiving a complaint disclosing cognisable offences. “There is no requirement for any prior sanction to be obtained before registration of an FIR in view of the facts and circumstances of this case whereby the alleged act was not part of official duties of the policeman in question,” it said.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/fir-ordered-against-cop-for-assaulting-street-dog-in-delhi/articleshow/97991268.cms
