Water protest claims a life

Led by Congress leader Narayan Rane’s son Nitesh and his Swabhiman Sanghatna,1,000 protesters had assembled outside,demanding a reduction in the 15 per cent water cut.

After the lathicharge,Viral Dholakhia,30,of Kandivili,was taken to GT Hospital,where he died. The body was shifted to Bombay Hospital,where sources said Dholakia had died of heart failure and had no external injuries or blood clots. He is survived by his parents,wife and a two-year-old son.

“He was brought with chest pain and breathlessness. He died in half an hour. His family wanted a second opinion and took him to Bombay Hospital,” said Dr A V Kulkarni,medical superintendent of GT. The police claimed Dholakia had complained of chest pain and had walked to GT himself.

“The mob was trying to break open the gates and vandalised the police bunker outside. The lathicharge was minor,aimed at controlling the mob. No one was seriously injured. Dholakia had chest pain and walked to the hospital; we heard later he had died of a heart attack,” said ACP (South Region) K Padmanabhan.

DCP (Zone I) Vishwas Nangre Patil said 14 persons including Nitesh Rane were arrested for rioting and related offences; they later got bail.

Congress spokesperson Kanhaiyyalal Gidwani demanded an inquiry into the lathicharge and the death. “It is our democratic right to demonstrate against water scarcity,” he said. The son of Congress MLA Kalidas Kolambkar was also injured in the lathicharge,he said.

Arun Sawant,the Swabhiman Sangathna’s coordinator in Vikhroli,said,“We did not expect the police to beat us up so ruthlessly.”

The mob had assembled at Metro Cinema junction and marched to the BMC,shouting slogans against the administration and the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP. “The BMC’s nexus with the water mafia has hit the common man. Rich people can afford to buy water but what about the others?” said protester Ajay Mohite.

The BMC entrance was locked but Nitesh Rane and four others were allowed to enter. Rane met additional municipal commissioner A K Singh.

“He wanted the cut at 5 per cent rather than 15. We told him that was not possible after the scanty rainfall,” Singh said. Rane threatened to continue the protest on the roads.

The levels of the six lakes that feed the city have dipped to around 30 per cent less than those last year. Civic officials said,however,that the problem is not as serious as political parties are making it out to be. Some Sena leaders noted that the protest came days after Narayan Rane’s candidate lost the mayoral election.