Purushottam Sharma, Madhya Pradesh Police Officer, Justified His Actions Against His Wife
Bhopal:
The news anchor of a regional television channel in Bhopal filed a police complaint against the wife and son of an IPS (police) officer, accusing them of tarnishing his reputation.
Purushottam Sharma, a 1986 IPS officer, was transferred following a viral video showing him beating his wife, shortly after she confronted him on the presenter’s floor.
The presenter filed a complaint against Mr. Sharma’s wife and son at the Shahpura Police Station, claiming that the IPS officer is “like a father” to her and calls her a “beta”.
“The complaint claims that his privacy and image have suffered greatly in society and have caused his name to be discredited,” Shahpura Police Station Chief Jitendra Patel told the Press Trust of India news agency.
The presenter has demanded that the police take appropriate measures in the matter and protect her from suffering “mental torture”.
“As I am associated with journalism, I continue to meet with officials and politicians quite frequently,” she said in her complaint.
“On Sunday (September 27), Director General Purushottam Sharma called me around 7pm, saying that he was near my place (residence), so I invited him for a cup of tea,” he said.
The presenter said that some time later, Mr. Sharma’s wife also came to his apartment and rang the bell. “I don’t know her, but I opened the door out of courtesy, after which she broke into the apartment,” he added.
Mr. Sharma and his wife had a fight, after which the IPS officer left the house, “he said.
He claimed that Mr. Sharma’s wife stayed behind and asked him “unnecessary questions” and also made a video recording of his bedroom, which Mr. Sharma’s son made viral on social media, making “unfounded accusations” in his against.
“DG Saab (Sharma) is like my father and he used to call me ‘beta’,” said the presenter.
“I never realized that coming to my house for a cup of tea would become such a big problem. It has tarnished my image and compromised my privacy,” he said in the complaint.
The police station in charge said that since it is about discrediting a person’s image, the complaint can only be filed in court.
The order to remove Mr. Sharma from the position of Director of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and transfer him to the secretary of state without assigning him any position was issued by the undersecretary of the state Department of the Interior, Annu Bhalavi, on Monday.
“Two videos relating to you went viral on social media in which prima facie you are seen engaging in immoral behavior and domestic violence with your wife,” a justification notice issued by Annu Bhalavi to Purushottam Sharma read.
“His actions violate the rules of All India Services and therefore he is being instructed to clarify why no disciplinary action should be taken against him for his actions,” he had said.
The government has asked Mr. Sharma to submit his response before 5:30 pm today, otherwise it will be construed that he has no response to submit and, consequently, actions will be taken against him, according to the order.
Sharma’s son Parth, Deputy Commissioner of the Income Tax Department, sent the video to the state Interior Minister Narottam Mishra and some high-ranking bureaucrats, and requested that a complaint be filed against his father.
Mr Sharma, who has been married for 32 years, had said: “This is a family matter, not a crime … I am not a criminal. My wife stalks me wherever I go. I am dealing with this.”
The state women’s commission summoned Sharma on October 5 and also ordered him to provide security for his wife.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed)
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