Ahead of the January 15 elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the State Election Commission has appointed flying squads to inspect vehicles. BMC official Suresh Rathod and videographer Dheeraj Panchal were part of one such flying squad
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Mumbai Police on Sunday night arrested a man for allegedly assaulting and abusing a nodal officer of the Static Surveillance Team (SST) deployed for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in the Vile Parle area, officials said.
The incident took place near the Milan Subway in the Vile Parle area.
Ahead of the January 15 elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the State Election Commission has appointed flying squads to inspect vehicles. BMC official Suresh Rathod and videographer Dheeraj Panchal were part of one such flying squad.
The incident occurred amid heightened security arrangements and routine checking procedures being carried out as part of the BMC elections 2026 process. According to police, the accused not only verbally abused the nodal officer and his colleagues but also physically assaulted them, obstructed government work, and issued threats to harm the team on duty.
After officials stopped a vehicle driven by the accused, Iftekhar Ahmed, Panchal began video recording it as part of the election process. However, Ahmed allegedly lost his cool and asked the officials to stop recording.
Complaint filed
The accused then allegedly assaulted Rathod and Panchal and drove away. The two later approached the police.
Based on a complaint filed by the nodal officer, the Vile Parle police registered a case against the accused, identified as Iftikhar Ahmed, under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. These include Section 132 (assault or use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging duty), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt), Section 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation).
Accused in custody
Police said the accused was taken into custody on Sunday night, and further investigation into the matter is underway. Authorities reiterated that strict action will be taken against anyone attempting to disrupt election-related duties or threaten officials engaged in the poll process.
The Maharashtra State Election Commission has announced elections to 29 municipal corporations across the state, including the BMC, Pune Municipal Corporation, and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation. Mumbai will see polling across 227 electoral wards on January 15, with counting scheduled for January 16.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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