NGO MEN IN ROW WITH SAINIKS

Duo trying to stop tapping BMC water pipeline thrashed

THE Andheri police have registered a case of assault against two Shiv Sainiks for allegedly beating up two men who tried to stop illegal tapping of water from a civic pipeline in the area.

The polcie said James John (37) and Ravi Nair (35), belonging to citizens' group AGNI were beaten up and pelted with stones by 15 to 20 people near Span Landmark Building on Andheri-Kurla Road, close to midnight on Tuesday. Shiv Sainiks Ganesh Pujari (36) and his brother Mahesh (35) were part of the mob, and a complaint was registered against them on Wednesday.

"Nair and I were on our way back from a K-East Ward meeting, when we saw some teenagers tapping water from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation pipeline," said John.

"I asked them not to do so, when one of them ran and called Ganesh Pujari. After picking a fight with me, he called up ex-corporator Subhash Sawant on the phone and a mob gathered around us. Suddenly, I head Pujari tell the mob that Sawant had given orders to beat us up," alleged John.

"They then punched us and pelted stones at us. Somehow we managed to run away from the crowd. Nair had to be admitted to Cooper Hospital for his back injuries," he said.

No arrests have been made yet, and the police are probing charges. "We have registered a complaint against Ganesh Pujari, who is the driver of Subhash Sawant. His brother Mahesh is also one of the accused," said R P Sengaonkar, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone X.

When asked to comment on the charges, Sawant told Newsline: "I never gave any orders to beat up anyone. Ganesh and Mahesh are Shiv Sena workers, and no party hands were involved in the incident. Mahesh has been a Shiv Sena ambulance driver for more than a decade. He is not the sort to pelt stones or beat up people."

|| Put an end to 'mobocracy'   || Peace march held to protest attacks on N Indians   || This ‘mobocracy’ is quite enough  || Teen trio sweep in winds of change  || Activists want special cell to register threat complaints  || NGO men in row with Sainiks  || Cops and company walk the dock  || Court orders Sena-BJP to pay Rs 20 lakh each for bandh call  || Corporator is fooling people by taking credit  || Pothole hunt: Day 2, Dadar roads not okay  || People's Uprising  ||  CD Tells The Civic Tale In Wadala, Sion  ||  No Relief To The Needy, Others Benefit  ||  Experts Criticize Government, Rescue Forces; Praise Mumbai Police  ||  AGNI Speakers Seek Tax Sops For Flood-Hit  ||  AGNI, JAAG Join Hands For Flood Relief  ||  Shiv Sena Jumps Off The Bandh-Wagon  ||  Citizens, AGNI up in arms against BMC  ||  AGNI will move court to scuttle civic strike plan  ||  Write to set it Right  ||  Corporators to undergo AGNI-Pariksha  ||  The Road to nowhere  ||  Bandhs penalised  ||  AGNI presents Charter to Political Parties  ||  Chembur citizens come together to reduce dog-menace  ||  Citizens move marble  ||  Model School Bus Project  ||  Girgaum Chowpatty Project ||