THANE: A minor road rage incident escalated into a violent sword attack on a street in Barkupada, in Ambernath East, on Friday evening. A group of men brandishing swords, allegedly goons linked to a political party, launched a frenzied attack on local residents, leaving the street bloodied, and panicked residents scrambling for cover as the assailants ran amuck. Two people were seriously injured and several others hurt.
The incident occurred around 5:00pm near Durga Mandir, when a woman in her early 20s, daughter of a former corporator, honked at a local resident, Mahesh Rajput, 28, who was crossing the street. Witnesses say the woman stopped her car and began to hurl expletives at Mahesh. “Does your father own the street,” she challenged.
Mahesh’s elder brother Mangesh, 32, who filed a police complaint after the attack, later said, “My brother stepped aside but she halted her car and insulted him. When we questioned her, she took photos of us, saying she would ‘deal with us later’.”
Around 15 minutes later, a group of armed men arrived at the spot. First, two of them pulled up on a motorcycle, and then a car carrying five to six men armed with swords and choppers drew up. Armed with photos of the Rajput brothers on their mobile phones, earlier clicked by the corporator’s daughter, they began seeking out Mahesh.
When they found him, one of the goons grabbed him by the shirt, shoved him to the ground, and, along with the other thugs, began thrashing him. Raja Ghorpade, cousin of the victim, attempted to intervene but he too was attacked.
Mahesh’s brother Mangesh attempted to calm the assailants. “I was trying to stop them from killing my brother. I pleaded with them, but they told me to get lost or else they would kill me too,” said Mangesh. “Do you know whose daughter she is,” one of the thugs said to him, referring to the woman from the car. “Then one of them slashed my face with a sword,” said Mangesh, who is undergoing treatment at a hospital in Kalyan. “There was blood everywhere. I thought I wouldn’t survive.”
To drive away the assailants, local residents began hurling stones at them but they too were attacked. Mobile phone footage of the incident has gone viral on social media, showing a group of men brandishing swords in the street while screaming residents run for cover. Both injured brothers are being treated at a private hospital in Kalyan.
Local residents have identified some of the assailants, saying they are political party workers, who were trying to assert their supremacy ahead of local body elections to be held later this year. A day after the attack, Barkupada was still tense on Saturday evening, with a strong police presence in the neighbourhood.
The Shivajinagar Police have registered a case against ten unnamed men based on a complaint filed by Mangesh Rajput. The case has been filed under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with the Indian Arms Act and Maharashtra Prevention of Dangerous Activities Act (MPDA).
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sachin Gore said, “A case has been registered against ten accused, and teams are searching for them. Strict action will be taken against all those involved in this act of violence. We are trying to ascertain where they secured the weapons.”