Mumbai: Stone thrown at Bandra station blinds innocent commuter on local train

The accused, Yogendra Vanshraj Bauddh (crouching), who was arrested on February 5. Pics/By Special Arrangement

A commuter, Nishant Ratnakumar Khatri, lost his left eye while travelling on a Churchgate-bound local fast train on February 3. According to Khatri, there was a commotion in his compartment as two men were arguing intensely. Later, when the train reached Bandra station, one of the men alighted onto the tracks and hurled a stone at the other. But instead of hitting the intended target, the stone hit Khatri on his left eye, injuring him severely.

Talking to the media, Khatri said, "After the stone hit my eye, no one helped me, no one pulled the chain to stop the train as it had started moving. I got off the running train and approached an RPF officer, who took me to meet the station master."

Nishant Khatri, victim

Khatri alleged he was made to wait for almost an hour for the station master's arrival, saying, "I had been requesting RPF personnel to get me medical attention, but they said that they couldn't do so until the station master arrived and a memo was prepared."

After the arrival of his brothers, Khatri was taken first to Bhabha hospital for a wound cleaning and dressing, and later to the Hinduja Hospital, where he underwent surgery and was informed that he had lost his eye completely.

Based on the description given by Khatri, Senior Inspector Shahaji Nikam and Police Sub Inspector MB Bachhav, along with the crime detection team, examined the CCTV footage and, with the help of confidential informants, caught the accused in a sting operation in Dadar.

The accused, Yogendra Vanshraj Bauddh, a 26-year-old labourer, was taken into custody on February 5 within 36 hours of the incident.