This story is from August 24, 2019

Mumbai man who breached security jailed despite mental illness

Police arrested a 24-year-old mentally disturbed man for breaching and trespassing domestic airport premises on Thursday. Kamran Shaikh (24), a Saki Naka resident, was booked and sent to Arthur Road Jail on Friday despite police knowing about his mental status.
Mumbai man who breached security jailed despite mental illness
Kamran Shaikh strolled beneath a SpiceJet aircraft on Thursday
MUMBAI: Police arrested a 24-year-old mentally disturbed man for breaching and trespassing domestic airport premises on Thursday. Kamran Shaikh (24), a Saki Naka resident, was booked and sent to Arthur Road Jail on Friday despite police knowing about his mental status.
The matter went up to Director General of Civil Aviation and CISF, who took the breach seriously and registered the FIR against Kamran, who has been undergoing treatment for nine months.
Kamran told police he wanted to see a flight from nearby.
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Law enforcement agencies need to evolve a protocol to deal with a person suspected to be of unsound mind and who is found to be in conflict with the law. Such a protocol needs to be based on humanity and compassion. Instead of knee-jerk reactions like dumping the person in jail, the first course of action should be psychiatric consultation and the next, treatment and care.


His family said he bows in front of white vehicles, as if he is praying to God. He did the same in front of the plane. His family was clueless how he reached the airport. Police said he scaled the boundary wall and walked to the runway, obstructing a SpiceJet Boeing 737 that was waiting to enter the runway for departure to Bengaluru. CISF officials caught Kamran and handed him over to police for the security breach. He had even saluted the personnel.
His family told police that they are unable to arrange Rs 15,000 for bail and no one was ready to stand surety. His elder brother Imran is the sole breadwinner in the family who takes care of his medical expenses.
A police officer said they were helpless as senior airport officials registered the case despite knowing about his illness. They registered a case as his act delayed several flights. A case under IPC sections for endangering life, wrongful restraint and trespass was registered. Additional commissioner of police (west region) Manoj Sharma said they first took legal opinion but IPS officer-turned-lawyer Y P Singh said as per section 84 of IPC nothing is an offence which is done by a person who, at the time of doing it, by reason of unsoundness of mind, is incapable of knowing the nature of the act, or that he is doing what is either wrong or contrary to law.
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