Netflix series Delhi Crime based on the Nirbhaya gangrape case is about to land in legal trouble as inspector Anil Sharma, the then SHO of the Vasant Vihar police station where the case was registered in 2012 is planning to sue the makers for wrongful depiction of his character.
The series depicts the SHO's character as an officer who is not trusted by his seniors and tries to shirk work, even when the team is racing against time to nab the culprits. However, later in the series, the character named as Vinod becomes more responsible with its duty.
Unhappy with the portrayal of his character, Sharma said that he is planning to initiate legal proceedings against the makers. Currently posted as the SHO of the Lodhi Colony police station, Sharma told PTI that he had faced three inquiry commissions in the case and none of them found any laxity on the part of the police station.
"They, in fact, praised us. Even the courts praised the police's efforts. The series has maligned my reputation and I am considering whether I can go to court against them," he said.
Claiming that the director of the series, Richie Mehta, has apologised to him, Sharma said that he is not pacified.
In an episode, Sharma's character tells his DCP, portrayed by Shefali Shah, that he wants to go to the gym to unwind, even as the police teams are looking for the accused.
"I am a national-level athlete and I have never gone to the gym. If I would have thought so, my juniors would have not put in efforts thinking that when the seniors are like this, why should we be bothered," he said.
He said when the case was under investigation, they had done what could be called the "mother of all arrangements".
"Students used to be sitting right outside the police station and we used to escort the accused to court through the rear of the police station, crossing a drain, slum cluster, through PVR Priya, all while ensuring that they are not lynched by the angry public.
Apart from this, I also had the job of collecting evidence in the case, handling her friend who was also with her in the bus," he said.
Further, the police officer also said that he regularly met the victim when she was admitted in hospital in the national capital and spent time with her. Moreover, throughout the trial of the case, he followed up on it and attended all the hearings.
"During the trial, I lost my elder brother and father. While I was bathing my brother's body for last rites, I got a call from a senior officer about the case, I immediately got up and attended it without telling him about the tragedy. That has been my level of dedication. The then commissioner of police, Neeraj Kumar has also conveyed his disapproval on the portrayal of Sharmas character and reprimanded the makers, who will be adding a disclaimer to the series.
