Two CISF guards had pulled up three men for trying to enter the Mumbai government colony on a motorcycle; two others were allegedly assaulted for trying to intervene and save them
Five people were allegedly assaulted by Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel at the Central Government employees Society (CGS) Colony in Antop Hill around 11 pm on Sunday, after a couple of guards deployed at the entrance of the colony mistook three of them for thieves. The other two men were beaten up for trying to prevent the CISF personnel from thrashing the trio.
Rajdeep Vanjare, Deepak Mohite and Mayjo Mathew at the gate where the CISF personnel assaulted them
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Deepak Mohite (21), Rajdeep Vanjare (19) and Sanket Sivane (20) were mistaken for thieves by the CISF guards and Mayjo Mathew and Rohan Gogle, who are also in their 20s, were beaten up for trying to save the three men. All five men are residents of the society.
Deepak and Mayjo show the injuries they sustained to their abdomen and back, respectively
Speaking to mid-day, Mohite said, “I was heading home on a motorcycle with two of my friends. We entered through a particular gate which is usually shut at night, as it is closer to our residences. The gate was open that day, but the moment we entered, two CISF guards stopped us, accused us of being thieves and started assaulting us with their lathis.
Soon, another 40 men joined them, out of which only two or three were in uniform. Despite telling them that we live in the colony and they could verify our addresses, they kept hitting us. A few passers-by, who know us, informed our families. Our family members rushed to our rescue, following which we went to the police station.”
Vanjare said the CISF personnel even confiscated and damaged their cellphones. “They accused us of robbing the phones and threw the devices on the ground. They assaulted Mayjo and Rohan, who had come to save us, and even manhandled the women who tried to intervene,” he said.
Confirming that the CISF guards roughed him up, Mathew said, “I was passing by when I saw a few guards beating a few people up. When I realised the victims were my friends, I tried to intervene. When the guards saw that I was clicking photographs of what they were doing, one of them snatched my cellphone and damaged it. After that, they assaulted me.”
Cop speak
Sub-inspector Om Totavale from Antop Hill police station said, “Two CISF men were patrolling the area because a lot of thefts had been reported in the colony in the past one week. While the victims claim they were on a motorcycle, the CISF men said they saw Deepak standing near the gate, got suspicious and mistook him for a burglar.
However, Deepak and his friends were allowed to go after the CISF men learnt that they were residents of the colony. Furious at being mistaken for thieves despite the CISF men seeing them daily, the trio went home and came back with their families and friends. Sensing that the situation could get ugly, the CISF guards called for back up and a skirmish ensued.”
Totavale said that while both parties have given their versions, the police will carry out its own investigations. “A detailed report will be prepared after a thorough probe, and forwarded to the CISF DIG along with the pictures of the injuries allegedly sustained by the victims. It is they (CISF) who have the authority to take appropriate action against their men, if found guilty of misconduct.”
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