Police Commissioner Brigadier-General Sitiveni Qiliho yesterday said a man who alleged he was beaten up by Lautoka Police officers was being ivestigated for allegedly harbouring an escapee.

The allegations by Prashant Sharma which recently went viral on social media were addressed by Brigadier-General Qiliho. He said that members of the public were not taken in for questioning without a reason.

Brigadier-General Qiliho said Mr Sharma was being investigated for allegedly harbouring a criminal; 33-year-old Deshwar Kishore Dutt, also known as “Amit” who had escaped from custody in late April while awaiting judgement from the High Court in Suva.

Deshwar Dutt was arrested earlier last week while allegedly attempting to rob a warehouse in Nadi.

Brigadier-General Qiliho said Mr Sharma was being investigated for allegedly harbouring him.

On Mr Sharma’s alleged assault claims, Brigadier-General Qiliho said the Police Force did not condone brutality and if Mr Sharma did file a Police statement on the alleged incident then the matter was already with the Department of Internal Affairs.

He said Mr Sharma must follow it up with Internal Affairs and the Divisional Police Commander or the Police Commissioner himself and they would conduct a thorough investigation.

Brigadier-General Qiliho said this was becoming a common tactic for many who were taken in for questioning by Police by posting their grievances on social media and making allegations of Police brutality.

The victim’s family alleged some Police officers took Prashant Sharma, 22, from their home in Naikabula Road in Lautoka on May 17 and brutally assaulted him.

Mr Sharma (Prashant) refused to make a comment at his home yesterday when the Fiji Sun visited him but his father, Narendra Sharma said he was seeking answers from the Fiji Police Force.

Mr Sharma (Narendra) asked what would have happened if his son would have died?

“This is not right whatever the Police officers have done to my son,” he said.

“It was at 12:05am on May 17 some Police officers in civilian clothes came to arrest my son.

“I opened the door of my house and some of the Police officers came inside my house and told me that they want to arrest my son.

“When I asked them why, the Police officers replied that it was confidential and then began to check my entire house.”

Mr Sharma claimed that he told the Police officers to present a search warrant but this proved futile.

Mr Sharma alleged that Police officers did not show him any papers with his son’s name written on them.

Mr Sharma claimed it was around 6am on that same day, those Police officers came again and arrested Prashant, took him to the old Lautoka Police station, and allegedly assaulted him and kept him in a cell the whole day and night.

“The Police had put a false allegation on my son that he was involved in a robbery in Namaka in April and then falsely accused him of harbouring an escapee,” Mr Sharma said.

Mr Sharma said on May 18, they had brought Prashant home and made him have a shower and then they dropped him at his workplace.

“They told my son to take it as a man and do not tell anyone or the media,” he said.

Mr Sharma claimed he was given the run around from one Police station to another when he went in search for his son.

“I went to the Lautoka Police station, there I was told to go to the Crime Department.

“Then they said to go to the Nadi Police Station but when I went there they told me to go to the Namaka Police Station,” Mr Sharma said.

“At Namaka, there they told me he was taken to Lautoka Police Station.”

Meanwhile, Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the complaint had been lodged and Police Internal Affairs were carrying out their investigation.

Edited by Rusiate Mataika

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