Allegation against Shaw false: Social media influencer Sapna Gill's molestation charge against Indian cricketer Prithvi Shaw at a pub in suburban Andheri in Mumbai is ‘false and unfounded’, the police told the court here on Monday (June 26).
The investigating officer, who appeared before the magistrate hearing the case on Monday, submitted a report on the matter.
Gill’s lawyer Ali Kaashif Khan urged the court to allow him to present before the court the video footage of the alleged fight which was captured by the influencer’s friend on his phone. The video had also gone viral on social media. He also sought a CCTV grab of the incident that occurred outside the pub.
The court asked the police to submit the footage of the incident, following which the court was adjourned to June 28.
Sapna Gill lodges complaint
Gill had filed a complaint before the magistrate court in Andheri and sought the registration of FIR under IPC sections 354 (Assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 509 (Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 324 (Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means) against the cricketer and his friend Ashish Yadav for allegedly assaulting her with a bat in February.
Gill had approached the Airport police station in Andheri for the registration of a molestation case before moving the court.
What the police said
The police told the court that the analysis of the CCTV footage of the pub showed that Gill and her friend Shobit Thakur were drunk and dancing.
Thakur wanted to record Shaw with his mobile phone but the cricketer stopped him from taking videos. Upon examination of the footage, it doesn't appear that Shaw and others molested Gill in any way, the police said. The police said that the statements of the witnesses present in the said pub were also recorded in which they said that Gill was not touched inappropriately by anyone.
Police also examined CCTV footage of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, which is in the vicinity, and it is seen that the social media influencer was following Shaw's car with a baseball bat in her hand. The footage shows that she smashed the windshield of the cricketer's car, the court was told.
The report also mentioned that the statements of CISF were also recorded in which they too said that no such incident had taken place as claimed by Gill.
According to a CISF official, they received alerts about a scuffle in the area. Upon reaching the spot, he saw a car's windshield smashed. The car driver said an argument broke out inside the pub and the manager had asked them to leave and that he wanted to lodge an FIR, as per the report.
The official saw a woman holding a baseball bat in her hand. Her male friend took the bat from her and threw it to the side when they saw police approaching the spot. None of the men at the spot was assaulting the woman, stated the report citing the statement of the CISF official.
The investigation conducted in accordance with the complaint of Gill revealed that the allegations against Prithvi Shaw and others are false /unfounded, police said.
Gill was arrested in February along with some others in connection with an alleged attack on Shaw following an argument over clicking selfies at a suburban hotel.
After securing bail, Gill approached the Airport police station with a complaint against Shaw, his friend Ashish Yadav, and others, for alleged molestation and outraging modesty.
She later moved the court after the police didn't register a case against the cricketer.
(With PTI inputs)
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