Mumbai: Neighbours unite to back youth accused of attacking Bandra woman

In a twist to our Wednesdayrsquos report about a woman crying assault at Hill Road eyewitnesses and residents of the area are claiming that she was the one at faultResidents of Ganpatwadi Hill Road Bandra West have complained to the police commissioner against Sandra Rocha the woman who had lodged a complaint at Bandra police station on October 27 alleging that she had been threatened and assaulted by her neighbours the PandeysResidents of Ganpatwadi Hill Road have complained to the police commissioner against Sandra RochaAbout 15 to 20 residents carried out a signature campaign and wrote to the top cop stating that not just the Pandey family but many others had a grouse with her since she ldquohas been harassing others over various issuesrdquoAfter reading middayrsquos report on Rocharsquos allegations one of the eyewitnesses to her roadside brawl with college student Ashish Pandey came forward to say that she was the one who started itRoshan Pandey Ashishrsquos elder brother said that Rocharsquos complaint was false and she was the one who had instigated Ashish by abusing his father Ashish responded by throwing away her twowheelerrsquos key and she then tried hitting him with the helmet Roshan saidWhile the midday report on November 11 mentioned that Rocha had lodged an FIR following the incident it was actually a noncognisable offence he saidldquoShe has been a nuisance for us for many years now and we have stopped even crossing her way but she still wants to boss around Because of her my younger brother is in trouble despite doing nothing The allegations that he pulled her hair and assaulted her are all false and nothing like that happened There never was any FIR against my brother Ashish on October 27 as she had taken an apology from us in writingrdquo Roshan told this paperEyewitnesses to the incident and neighbours sided with Ashish and claimed that Rocha has been involved in many fights with other neighbours An immediate neighbour of Rocha Mary Pinto 77 said ldquoShe stays next door and keeps fighting and troubling me for no reason I am supposed to get water from the tap but instead of giving it to me mdash who is legally bound to get water mdash she doesnrsquot allow me to get it most times but rather gives it to the DubeysrdquoAs mentioned in our earlier report the problem started when Rocha gave water for house chores to Uma Dubey whose water supply had been severed years ago owing to a property feud with the Pandeys in the courtAnother neighbour Yameen Qureshi said ldquoShe keeps on instigating people and when someone retaliates she rushes to the police station She keeps lodging complaints and this time she has put Ashishrsquos future at riskrdquoA mechanic present at the time of the alleged assault said ldquoAfter she came there was a verbal fight Initially many tried stopping them but in vain However the fight heated up as she said something against his father and he threw her keys to which she responded by trying to hit him but ended up hitting me as I was trying to stop both of themrdquomiddayrsquos report on November 12Senior Police Inspector Ramchandra Dhawale at Bandra police station said ldquoThere was no FIR on October 27 against the Pandey family Rocha has been coming to the police station to lodge an FIR and we have started the procedures of doing so since not registering it could have led to certain problems When a woman complains of an assault we have to register a case and that is what we are doingrdquoReacting to her neighboursrsquo opinion and claims Sandra Rocha said ldquoThey are trying to save themselves All the allegations they are making against are false Let the law deciderdquo