Juhu BEST bus vandalism: Men booked for assaulting passenger, damaging property
The accused are allegedly Maratha quota protesters, who were travelling in the BEST bus without tickets, the police said.
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Police guide travellers heading towards Mumbai amid protests in Anand Nagar. (Express Photo: Deepak Joshi)The Mumbai police on Monday booked eight to 10 people, who were allegedly Maratha quota protesters, for assaulting a passenger on board a Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) bus and vandalising a window of the vehicle in Juhu.
According to the police, the incident occurred at around 7.15 pm on Sunday on a BEST bus plying on route number 201. When the bus was at Juhu bus station, an argument allegedly broke out between a few Maratha quota protesters and some passengers. The argument escalated into violence, as the protesters allegedly dragged a passenger inside the bus, assaulted him, and broke the glass of a third window towards the rear of the bus, the police said.
“The people involved in the altercation seem to be Maratha reservation agitators who were travelling without tickets. They started fighting with passengers over seats,” a police officer from the Juhu police station said.
By the time the police arrived at the scene, the protesters and passengers had left. The bus was moved aside, and a few passengers resumed their journey on another bus. One of the protesters recorded a video of the incident, which later became viral.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to charges of unlawful assembly, causing loss or damage to property, and assault against an unidentified group of eight to 10 people, a senior police officer said.
The bus conductor has recorded his statement, and further investigation is on.
The incident occurred against the backdrop of a citywide agitation led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil, who has been demanding reservation for the Maratha community and is on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan.
Thousands of Jarange-Patil supporters have thronged Mumbai, leading to traffic blocks in south and central Mumbai, and several incidents of alleged altercations and commotions have been reported.
The Bombay High Court has asked Jarange Patil and other protesters continuing agitations at Azad Maidan to comply with court orders, saying it would otherwise take steps permissible in law, including issuing contempt of court action and imposing exemplary costs.
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