The complainant, Santosh Akhade, who is also the victim, is a service boy in the Hostel No. 10 canteen and resides in the Tansa Hostel. The accused, Anil Prajapati, 28, who works as a cook in Hostel No. 2, has been booked under sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita
An area in the campus where bloodstains were noticed, last week. PIC/BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Following a mid-day report about bloodstains being found on the IIT Bombay campus, the Powai police have registered a formal FIR against a mess worker who allegedly attacked a colleague with a wooden stick, leading to the bloodshed on the night of July 9. The 24-year-old victim works as a service boy in the hostel canteen and has been employed since 2018. The accused, who is currently absconding, is a cook working in the campus hostel.
Swinging into action
According to officers, the Powai police started investigating the case on Monday evening, after mid-day brought the alleged bloodshed incident that occurred near the Tansa Hostel in the Students’ Residential Zone to their notice. The police allegedly coordinated with campus authorities and recorded the victim’s statement, which led to the filing of the FIR at 11.45 pm on Monday.
The complainant, Santosh Akhade, who is also the victim, is a service boy in the Hostel No. 10 canteen and resides in the Tansa Hostel. The accused, Anil Prajapati, 28, who works as a cook in Hostel No. 2, has been booked under sections 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita.
On the night of July 9, Akhade was resting in his room at the Tansa Hostel when Prajapati called him outside and allegedly struck him on the head with a wooden stick. “The blow caused severe bleeding, and hostel residents rushed Akhade to an internal hospital. He was later shifted to Rajawadi Hospital and subsequently moved to a private hospital in Thane by his elder brother Manohar,” said a police officer.
The motive behind Prajapati’s assault, according to the police, stems from a longstanding dispute due to Akhade’s friendly rapport with a female senior staffer. “Prajapati had allegedly warned Akhade multiple times in the past not to speak to the woman staffer. But since he continued to maintain a relationship with her, Prajapati was irked, and this led to the attack,” said the officer. When asked about Prajapati, DCP (Zone X) Datta Nalawade confirmed that he is currently absconding and a manhunt has been launched to trace and arrest him.
On road to recovery
mid-day also reached out to the victim’s brother, Manohar, to learn more about the incident. “From what I know, Akhade was found by some students who took him to the IIT-B hospital. The campus hospital had an ambulance that took him to Rajawadi Hospital. The doctors said he was not doing well, so we shifted him to a private hospital in Thane the next morning. He is now fine and the police came in yesterday to register the FIR. They were initially alerted by Rajawadi Hospital as well.”
Manohar added, “We have doubts regarding Prajapati as he would blackmail my brother from time to time. Prajapati’s phone appears to be switched off at the moment.” Akhade is currently out of danger but still admitted for treatment of his head injuries.
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