NEW DELHI: Samir Thapar, vice
president and managing director of JCT Ltd, has become the latest victim of
police high-handedness after he was picked up from an exclusive lounge bar by
mistake and detained for almost 10 hours.
The police had gone to LAP,
a lounge bar co-owned by film actor
Arjun Rampal, on early Saturday morning
following a complaint against Sahil Dhingra, owner of leading apparel exporter
Orient Craft, who was accompanied by Manu Sharma, the killer of Jessica Lall who
is out on parole at present. While Dhingra was detained, Manu gave cops the slip
and exited by the rear door.
The police posse appeared in LAP
following an argument that Dhingra is learnt to have had with a senior police
officer's son in the adjoining Ashok Hotel's F Bar. It's learnt that Dhingra,
who the police says was moving around with four armed guards, picked up a fight
with the cop's son.
After F Bar's management intervened, Dhingra and
Manu Sharma took themselves and the action to LAP. Within a few minutes of their
entry into LAP, a posse of policemen entered the lounge bar and apprehended
Dhingra. Samir Thapar, whowas leaving the bar around this time, suddenly found
the police asking him to stop. When he asked what the matter was, he was
summarily bundled into a police Gypsy and taken to the Chanakyapuri Police
Station.
Said a furious Thapar, ``I walked out of LAP at around 3am.
When I started my car, the cops caught hold of me and dragged me into their
Gypsy. At first I thought that maybe the sound of my Ferrari's engine was too
loud. I was taken to Chanakyapuri police station, and interrogated till 1pm. I
have been dragged into this whole thing unnecessarily.''
He added,
``Sahil Dhingra was also in the same Gypsy and was taken to the thana with me
and interrogated. I had come to LAP independently, and left independently. I
didn't interact with Sahil at all. I am going to take legal action against Delhi
Police. There was no complaint made by LAP, and none by Samrat. I am going to
speak to the Lieutenant-Governor about this."
A senior police
officer said Thapar's detention ``does look a mistake''. Dhingra, he said, moves
around with gunmen and has been involved in unnecessary fights in the
past.
Thapar wondered that if it was a case of mistaken identity, how
was he detained for 10 hours. ``I can understand them making a mistake at 3am.
But why keep me in the police station till 1pm? And why slap false cases against
me?''
Thapar and Dhingra were booked under Section 107 (security for
keeping the peace in other cases) and 151 (arrest to prevent the commission of
cognizable offences) of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act. They were
subsequently produced before the special executive magistrate on Saturday and
granted bail.
The entire episode has also brought focus on Manu
Sharma and how he was moving around Delhi's tony bars when he is supposed to be
serving a life term. Manu was granted parole for one month, extended by another
month, because his mother was said to be ailing. However, the mother was seen on
Saturday addressing a press conference in Chandigarh announcing the launch of an
under-19 girls' cricket tournament.
Speaking on condition of
anonymity, F Bar executives confirmed to TOI, "Sahil Dhingra, Manu Sharma and a
foreign girl entered F Bar at around 2am on Saturday. Dhingra got into a fight
with some security guards of a VVIP guest. The ruckus took place at the club's
main entrance near the hotel's lobby. Later, the club management staff walked up
to Sahil and sorted out the matter. Sahil and Manu then entered the club.
Within a few minutes, Sahil got into a squabble with a police
officer's son. Sahil was heard asking him, `So what if you are a police
officer's son?' A heated exchange followed. The club's management again
intervened and got the matter resolved. Sahil and Manu left the club around
2.30am.''
The two, along with their companions, then moved to LAP.
That's when the cops arrived, and took away Dhingra and Samir
Thapar.
According to Thapar, a policemen later called his manager's
phone. When Thapar came on the line and spoke to him, the policeman apologized
for his "mistaken arrest". He gave TOI the policeman's number.
When
we called, it turned out that the number belonged to Anil Bharadwaj, additional
SHO of Chanakyuri police station. However, Bharadwaj said he was not present
when Thapar was arrested, and denied speaking to Thapar. When TOI asked him how
Thapar knew his number, Bharadwaj replied, "I am a public servant. Anyone can
get my number."
Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal, co-owner of LAP, told
TOI, "I was at LAP on Friday night but left before the incident happened. I
heard the party was going on smoothly till cops suddenly arrived. A police
officer grabbed Sahil Dhingra and dragged him into the Gypsy. Dhingra had walked
in with Manu Sharma after 2.30am. I heard Sahil and Manu had created some ruckus
at F Bar, after which they came to LAP. Later, I got to know from my staff that
Samir Thapar was also forcibly taken to the Chanakyapuri police station for no
reason. I was shocked when I was told that Samir was accused of causing
disruption when no such thing had happened. It is sad that he was unnecessarily
dragged into the situation."
following a complaint against Sahil Dhingra, owner of leading apparel exporter
Orient Craft, who was accompanied by Manu Sharma, the killer of Jessica Lall who
is out on parole at present. While Dhingra was detained, Manu gave cops the slip
and exited by the rear door.
The police posse appeared in LAP
following an argument that Dhingra is learnt to have had with a senior police
officer's son in the adjoining Ashok Hotel's F Bar. It's learnt that Dhingra,
who the police says was moving around with four armed guards, picked up a fight
with the cop's son.
After F Bar's management intervened, Dhingra and
Manu Sharma took themselves and the action to LAP. Within a few minutes of their
entry into LAP, a posse of policemen entered the lounge bar and apprehended
Dhingra. Samir Thapar, whowas leaving the bar around this time, suddenly found
the police asking him to stop. When he asked what the matter was, he was
summarily bundled into a police Gypsy and taken to the Chanakyapuri Police
Station.
Said a furious Thapar, ``I walked out of LAP at around 3am.
When I started my car, the cops caught hold of me and dragged me into their
Gypsy. At first I thought that maybe the sound of my Ferrari's engine was too
loud. I was taken to Chanakyapuri police station, and interrogated till 1pm. I
have been dragged into this whole thing unnecessarily.''
He added,
``Sahil Dhingra was also in the same Gypsy and was taken to the thana with me
and interrogated. I had come to LAP independently, and left independently. I
didn't interact with Sahil at all. I am going to take legal action against Delhi
Police. There was no complaint made by LAP, and none by Samrat. I am going to
speak to the Lieutenant-Governor about this."
A senior police
officer said Thapar's detention ``does look a mistake''. Dhingra, he said, moves
around with gunmen and has been involved in unnecessary fights in the
past.
Thapar wondered that if it was a case of mistaken identity, how
was he detained for 10 hours. ``I can understand them making a mistake at 3am.
But why keep me in the police station till 1pm? And why slap false cases against
me?''
Thapar and Dhingra were booked under Section 107 (security for
keeping the peace in other cases) and 151 (arrest to prevent the commission of
cognizable offences) of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act. They were
subsequently produced before the special executive magistrate on Saturday and
granted bail.
The entire episode has also brought focus on Manu
Sharma and how he was moving around Delhi's tony bars when he is supposed to be
serving a life term. Manu was granted parole for one month, extended by another
month, because his mother was said to be ailing. However, the mother was seen on
Saturday addressing a press conference in Chandigarh announcing the launch of an
under-19 girls' cricket tournament.
Speaking on condition of
anonymity, F Bar executives confirmed to TOI, "Sahil Dhingra, Manu Sharma and a
foreign girl entered F Bar at around 2am on Saturday. Dhingra got into a fight
with some security guards of a VVIP guest. The ruckus took place at the club's
main entrance near the hotel's lobby. Later, the club management staff walked up
to Sahil and sorted out the matter. Sahil and Manu then entered the club.
Within a few minutes, Sahil got into a squabble with a police
officer's son. Sahil was heard asking him, `So what if you are a police
officer's son?' A heated exchange followed. The club's management again
intervened and got the matter resolved. Sahil and Manu left the club around
2.30am.''
The two, along with their companions, then moved to LAP.
That's when the cops arrived, and took away Dhingra and Samir
Thapar.
According to Thapar, a policemen later called his manager's
phone. When Thapar came on the line and spoke to him, the policeman apologized
for his "mistaken arrest". He gave TOI the policeman's number.
When
we called, it turned out that the number belonged to Anil Bharadwaj, additional
SHO of Chanakyuri police station. However, Bharadwaj said he was not present
when Thapar was arrested, and denied speaking to Thapar. When TOI asked him how
Thapar knew his number, Bharadwaj replied, "I am a public servant. Anyone can
get my number."
Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal, co-owner of LAP, told
TOI, "I was at LAP on Friday night but left before the incident happened. I
heard the party was going on smoothly till cops suddenly arrived. A police
officer grabbed Sahil Dhingra and dragged him into the Gypsy. Dhingra had walked
in with Manu Sharma after 2.30am. I heard Sahil and Manu had created some ruckus
at F Bar, after which they came to LAP. Later, I got to know from my staff that
Samir Thapar was also forcibly taken to the Chanakyapuri police station for no
reason. I was shocked when I was told that Samir was accused of causing
disruption when no such thing had happened. It is sad that he was unnecessarily
dragged into the situation."
Via. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Tycoon-Samir-Thapar-held-by-cops-by-mistake/articleshow/5213962.cms
