MUMBAI, December 7: A sailor from the Indian Navy Vijay Singh Kushal Singh Bisht (26) picked up a fight with a police constable and broke latter's service rifle at Vashi early this morning. Bisht is cooling his heels in the police lock-up.

Sub Inspector B P Bovde from Navi Mumbai police station told Express Newsline that the incident took place at around 3.30 am. Constable Suresh Chowghule was on patrol duty near Marathi Bhavan bus stand at Vashi when he noticed Bisht shouting in the street at the top of his voice.

When queried by the constable, Bisht started arguing which soon led to a scuffle in which he punched and pushed Chowghule. In the melee the policeman's rifle broke into two pieces, said Bovde. ``I have not seen the broken rifle, but I think the wooden butt of the rifle might have broken. Some of the rifles we have were used during the second World War in 1945. No wonder it broke down,'' Bovde added.

A police constable requesting anonymity said whenever a scuffle broke between an army man and the police, the latter are on receiving end.

``Because they (army personnel) are physically strong,'' he said.

A case has been registered in the Vashi police station against Bisht under section 353, 332 and 427 of the IPC.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.