‘Will plant 50gm’: Mumbai cop shunted for threatening to fabricate drug charges on protesters; probe ordered

Mumbai Police on Thursday shunted a police driver and ordered an inquiry against him for threatening protesters that drugs would be planted on them and they would be booked under narcotics laws, forcing them to spend the rest of their lives in jail if they returned to the protest spot again to take part in the demonstrations again.

The threat of the police driver was caught on a camera of a protester sitting in the police vehicle. The group of youngsters in the police van was apparently detained from a protest site.

The viral video shows him threatening to “plant powder” on protesters detained in a police vehicle during the CJP protests in the city. The video was widely shared and went viral. Senior officials shifted the driver from his current posting until the inquiry is complete.

In the video, shot by protesters sitting inside a police van, the driver is purportedly heard as saying, “Wapis idhar kidhar mila to mere jaisa bekaar aadmi koi nahin hoga… main direct 50-50 gram powder dal dega… phir gaya zindagi. Tum log ki wajah se humareko takleef hain” (If I see you here again, there won’t be anyone worse than me. I will directly plant 50 grams of powder in your pockets, and it will ensure you won’t get bail and your life will be ruined).

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The constable has been identified as Pawan Sangle, who is attached to the Motor Vehicle Department and is currently posted at the Sion police station. A police official said an inquiry had been ordered into the incident. “After verifying the facts, the driver concerned has been removed from his present posting till the completion of the inquiry,” the official said.

The viral video was also shared by the Mumbai Congress unit on its X handle.

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Posting the video, the Mumbai unit of the Congress said, “A viral video claims that @MumbaiPolice is threatening protesting students that if they return to demonstrate again, they will be framed in false drug cases and forced to rot in jail for their entire lives.”

“If this is true, it’s not just an attempt to intimidate students but a direct attack on democratic rights. Raising one’s voice is not a crime. Students’ questions should be answered with accountability, not threats,” the Congress said.

Mumbai has been witnessing protests in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led students’ agitation in New Delhi.

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Over the last few days, a numbers of students and citizens have been protesting at various locations, including Shivaji Park, Chembur, and Azad Maidan, in Mumbai.

Law enforcement authorities across Mumbai have adopted targeted direct-contact methods, including digital tracking and doorstep visits, to prevent repeat participation in ongoing student demonstrations.