A resident of Chira Bazaar, who had spoken about illegal parking, was allegedly thrashed when he asked a driver to move his truck so his niece could use her vehicle; mid-day has reported on the problem
A day after mid-day published a report on the illegal parking in Chira Bazaar, leading to an atmosphere of insecurity and fear in the area, Jayant Soni, a local resident who had spoken about the issue, was allegedly beaten up by the truck drivers.
Soni shows the bruises he sustained after allegedly being beaten up by the truck drivers
ADVERTISEMENT
Soni had asked them to make way since his niece wanted to use her two-wheeler on Wednesday morning. In the heat of the argument, some truck drivers beat him up. He was later taken to G T Hospital after which a non-cognisable offence was registered with the L T Marg police against four accused.
On July 15, mid-day had reported how Chira Bazaar’s Dr Viegas Street and Cavel Street have illegal parking of trucks and tempos on both sides of the roads for the past several years. Originally a residential area, it now has a number of shops-cum-godowns in the basements of buildings.
The godowns have several trucks parked in front of them for loading and unloading of goods. Residents say the trucks then stay parked there all day.
No parking zone
Although one side of the street is a strict no-parking zone, the other side is meant for parking of vehicles belonging to residents. However, handcarts, goods tempos, trucks, and sometimes even trailers are parked there.
And since most of these buildings don’t have a parking facility of their own, citizens are forced to park their vehicles in pay-and-park facilities as far as Nariman Point. One citizen is even confined to his home because of these problems. Local resident Soni had also spoken up against these truck drivers.
Assaulted
On Tuesday evening, Soni had an argument with the drivers when his wife’s vehicle was blocked by the tempos. The same happened on Wednesday when, at 8 am, Soni’s niece wanted to take her vehicle to work.
Seeing it blocked by tempos again, he started arguing with a truck driver and told him to move his vehicle. The driver got five-six of his men, who then allegedly beat up Soni. Soni ran behind to look for something to defend himself. By the time he came back, his father and brother had come to his aid.
The truck drivers ran away from the spot. “This was a pre-planned attack. We had been pursuing this matter with them for a long time. We opposed them vehemently. They must have been waiting for an opportunity to attack. I even lost my gold chain during the fight,” Soni said. He suffered injuries on his chest and back.
Soni was taken to G T Hospital, where a medical examination was done. He then went to the L T Marg police station and complained against four accused, after which a non-cognisable offence was registered against them. “The accused then agreed to pay for my gold chain as well as for my treatment.
They have apologised to me. But I want to make sure they stop this illegal parking altogether,” he said. The police have now given a warning to the accused. Local residents say they will also press for the illegal parking in the area to be stopped permanently now.
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
