Mumbai: Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Madhukar Sankhe, has been booked by the Matunga police for allegedly insulting an air hostess by making derogatory remarks. According to the police, during a verbal altercation, Sankhe reportedly told the air hostess, "You are not a woman; you are in between."
The 39-year-old complainant, a Dadar resident, approached the Matunga police on Saturday to report the incident. The accused, who resides in the same building, serves as the building’s secretary. For over a month, the building has been undergoing painting work, during which the complainant repeatedly requested Sankhe to remove a signboard obstructing her parking spot. Despite her complaints, the issue was consistently ignored, according to the complainant, whose husband is a pilot.
On August 6, the complainant was in the building’s compound to pick up her 5-year-old daughter when she noticed the obstructive signboard again. Spotting Sankhe and the painting contractor nearby, she requested that the sign be removed. This reportedly led to Sankhe losing his temper and verbally abusing her. The complainant told the police that the verbal exchange escalated, and Sankhe began making derogatory comments.
The complainant initially filed an online complaint through the Mumbai Police portal but had to leave the city for work. Upon returning, she officially registered an FIR against Sankhe under Section 79 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.