NEW BOMBAY, 1 November 2005 — A sting operation carried out by a team of investigative journalists of Bombay-based TV channel “Sahara Samay” in a alleged rape case boomeranged on the journalists. One of the journalists in the team, 35-year-old Pawan Bhargava, was found unconscious in a room at Alka Lodge opposite Thane railway station by the lodge employees. In what looks like an attempted suicide, Pawan was rushed to a government hospital for consuming pesticide. He is reported to be recovering and out of danger.
In a hand-written suicide note addressed to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister R.R. Patil in Hindi language, Pawan had alleged that he was forced to take the extreme step due to harassment by Assistant Commissioner of Police Punjabrao Ugale and senior police inspector Ashok Pawar of Nerul police station.
The note also stated that two of his colleagues in the sting operation should be held responsible for his death. New Bombay Commissioner Vijay Kamble however denied Pawan’s allegation of police harassment.
An illegal Bangladeshi immigrant girl formerly working in a dance bar had accused police constable Hamid Nazir Qazi of Nerul Police Station of raping her repeatedly and also charged him for seeking sexual favors for a colleague.
A sting operation initiated by Pawan and the TV channel to trap Qazi at Vashi bus depot in New Bombay was successful and telecast several times on “Sahara Samay” television.
The story was also published in several newspapers. This led to several protests from women organizations and after the media outcry, Qazi was arrested on Oct. 22. The alleged rape was said to have taken place on Oct. 12 and 13. Several journalists were involved in the sting operation. Soon after, constable Qazi was arrested.
But Arab News learned from a senior police official, who was one of the investigators in the alleged rape case, that no rape had taken place and the medical report was negative.
The New Bombay police, armed with these evidence and a retraction by the Bangladeshi bar girl in court, where she declared before the magistrate that Qazi was innocent and did not rape her, adding that she was forced by her husband and the journalists to implicate Qazi and lodge a police complaint and frame the constable, began questioning the journalists.
Stating that she was telling the truth now, the bar girl said that the journalists had come to her house, talked to her husband and later asked her to testify against Qazi. A lady journalist of the news channel forced her to say on camera and at the police station that she was raped.
“The journalists bribed my husband 400 rupees and also brought him chicken and liquor so that he could pressure me to testify against Qazi. The journalists then took me to the police station to lodge the complaint,” she said.
Pawan was the first to be interrogated for 13 hours by ACP Ugale, while other journalists involved in the sting operation were also called for questioning. Pawan said that he did not understand as to why the cops were dragging him into controversy and that he was only doing a social service. “I do not have any personal enmity with Qazi why should I then unnecessarily accuse him of rape,” he asked.
Bhargava had informed “Sahara Samay” journalist Priti Gupta about the alleged rape of the bar girl. Gupta blamed Bhargava of constantly and repeatedly pressurizing her to follow the story, which he described as a scoop. Gupta then went to Nerul and recorded the girl’s statement on camera and also taped the telephonic conversation with Qazi.
The TV crew then proceeded to Vashi bus depot where the meeting between the bar girl and Qazi was filmed.
The lady journalist denied that she forced or bribed the bar girl and said that she had no vested interests in the story.
The channel’s Vice President Rajiv Bajaj, while defending his journalists, said that the sting operation was only to bring out the truth and there was no ulterior motive. Bajaj said that the channel stood by the tapes that they had played several times on the news channel.
However, police investigators said that the audio cassette provided by Sahara Samay news channel does not contain any conversations in which Qazi talks about “undressing” the victim as was played on the TV channel audio. “It’s a classic manipulation by the channel,” said a police investigator.
Fearing arrest after the bar girl retracted her statement, Pawan attempted suicide. In a statement to the police during his stay in the hospital, he blamed Sahara Samay journalist Priti Gupta and other journalists for failing to support his version.
Meanwhile, the case against Qazi has weakened. The accused was produced in front of a magistrate in Belapur. Qazi was remanded to judicial custody.
Senior police officials said that investigations have revealed that Qazi might have been involved in extortion, but not rape. Director General of Police, Dr. Pavender Singh Pasricha said that there would be complete transparency in the case.
