On 16th December, a late-night walk home in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar turned violent after a man and his relatives were assaulted for merely shooing away a barking stray dog. The victim, identified as Salikram Bholanath Yadav, suffered a fractured shoulder and head injuries requiring stitches following an attack by three local men in the Pantnagar police station limits. OpIndia has accessed the FIR registered in the matter.
What happened on the night of the incident
The incident occurred in the early hours of 16th December at around 2:30 am near Shravasti Buddha Vihar in Ramabai Colony, Ghatkopar East. The complainant was walking home with his nephew Akash Yadav and a relative, Rajan Yadav, after finishing work and having a meal.
According to Yadav, the trio briefly stopped as his nephew needed to use the restroom. At that point, a stray dog began barking aggressively at Akash. To scare the dog away, Akash raised his slipper. However, he did not hit the animal. Three men, sitting nearby and warming themselves by a bonfire, objected and accused Akash of hitting the dog.
The trio attempted to explain that no harm was caused to the dog and walked away peacefully. However, the three men allegedly followed and stopped them, leading to a violent assault.
What the FIR says
OpIndia accessed the FIR registered in the case at Pantnagar police station on the complaint of Salikram Bholanath Yadav. The case has been registered under Sections 115(2), 118(1), 118(2), 3(5) and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
According to the FIR, the accused have been identified as Imran Ahmed Shaikh, Sampat Bhagirath Sutar and Hritik Sanjay Chandramore. All of them are residents of Ramabai Colony. The complainant stated that Hritik first struck him on the head with a wooden plank, which caused a bleeding injury. After that, Imran used the same wooden plank to hit Yadav on his left shoulder, left leg and back, which resulted in severe injuries.
Furthermore, Sampat assaulted Akash and Rajan with fists and kicks, causing them injuries. After the assault, the three accused fled the spot. Yadav later went to Rajawadi Hospital for treatment with a relative. Doctors informed him that he had suffered a fracture to his left shoulder and required multiple stitches on his head.
Fear and insecurity after the assault
In his statement, Yadav said that he had lived in the area for 25 years and nothing of this sort had happened earlier. He expressed fear for his safety and that of his family. He questioned whether residents are even allowed to protect themselves when faced with an aggressive stray dog.
Further investigation in the matter is underway.