Mumbai: Twenty persons, including policemen, civic engineers and workers, were injured in a stone pelting incident in Powai on Thursday 1pm when the BMC was carrying out an anti-encroachment drive in a slum in Bhim Nagar. An assistant commissioner of police was also injured in the incident.
The Powai police have booked 200 persons for alleged unlawful assembly and obstructing public servants in the discharge of their duties under Indian Penal Code section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means). Following the incident, municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani also inspected the site and met five injured civic engineers and workers.
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A police official said local residents protested against the drive and hurled stones at the police and BMC teams. The personnel providing security to the civic staff were injured in the process. A video clip of the incident went viral on social media. It shows a group of men and women pelting stones, with the police trying to run away or shield themselves. All the injured persons are being treated in a hospital.
The BMC had sent a prior notice to the residents, asking them to vacate their houses. When BMC and police teams arrived for the demolition drive on Thursday, the crowd resisted violently despite the police force being deployed in large numbers. Seeing the anger, the BMC immediately stopped the action.
As per civic officials, around 500 labour tenements were erected in a temporary manner on an open plot in Powai. A notice was served to the hutments under section 66 of Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act 1966. The BMC had also sent an eviction notice to the dwellers under section 488 of the BMC Act on June 1. The notice stated that the hutments will have to be removed within 48 hours or the civic body would take action.
However, when the dwellers did not pay heed to the notice, action was taken as per the directives approved by the State Human Rights Commission. A senior civic official said that it would resume at an appropriate time.
The dwellers said they have been living here for the last 20 years and alleged that their houses are being targeted in connivance with an unauthorised builder, forcing them to vacate the place.
A slum dweller told the FPJ that they have no place to go ahead of the monsoon. He appealed, “If we become homeless at the onset of monsoon, where will we take shelter?”
