Connecticut Professor Arrested For Filing An Alleged False Report of Profiling By Police

jonathanturley ^ | August 4, 2015 | jonathanturley

[dennisw]

There is a relatively rare case developing in Connecticut where Professor Minati Roychoudhuri, 62, has been charged with making a false police report after charging that she was racially profiled by a police officer. A review of the dash cam video contradicted factual assertions made by Roychoudhuri in her sworn statement.

Roychoudhuri was pulled over on May 9th by an officer and cited for failure to drive in the established lane. A month after the citation, she filed a complaint with the Commissioner of Public Safety:

Dear Sir/Madam

I was traveling to Wethersfield on Route 15/5 to attend a meeting 9th May. I was on the left lane on route 15 and had to take exit 85. After the Brainard Airport exit, and after the merging lane ended, I signaled and went to the right lane to take exit 85. An unmarked police car with flashing light stopped me on the ramp after I had taken the exit. The policeman asked me if I could speak English and if I knew why he had stopped me. I said, “yes” to speaking English and “no” to why he had stopped me. He then asked me for my driver’s license and registration. He returned with an envelope and said that I could simply mail in the infraction.

The officer did not give me any reason as to why had stopped me. His asking if I could speak English shows that he had racially profiled me and was not able to give me a concrete reason for stopping me. Further, the officer had checked “Hispanic” in the race category in the infraction ticket. I am a Professor in English at Capital Community College, I teach about diversity and the negative impact of racial profiling, I have now become a target of the same insidious behavior! It is easy to connect the dots with the nationwide racial profiling which has led to serious consequences. I request that my infraction charges be dropped and action be taken against the officer. I have talked with the Senator and Legislator of my constituency regarding this matter and I am sending a copy of this letter to them as well.

Thank you in advance, Sincerely, Minati Roychoudhuri

The police conducted an investigation and reviewed the tape. This is the transcript and the investigators concluded that the officer never asked if Roychoudhuri could speak English and did in fact explain the basis for the citation:

Officer: Hi ma’am, do you know why I’m stopping you today? Roychoudhuri: No O: OK. There’s that big gore area with white lines painted across it and you cut in front of it, in front of me, thinking it’s a lane or something. You have to wait until it’s a dotted white line. License and registration. (She handed him insurance, so he requested the registration again, which she _____CUT_____

The Internal Affairs investigators interviewed Roychoudhuri in person and she repeated the same claims of racial profiling as well as specific allegation that there was no explanation of the violation. She then signed a statement that it is a crime for her to make any claims that she does not believe to be true in an effort to mislead a public servant.

Roychoudhuri has now been arrested for giving a false statement in the second degree. The state code mandates:

______CUT_____

[T-Bone Texan]

Why put off the destruction of America for 10 - 20 years?

We need nothing from those people, and we gain nothing from their presence.

[ABN 505]

Believe me in this State what she did is a resume enhancer!