Hawker gets seven-year sentence for attack on civic official during Thane drive

A court in Maharashtra`s Thane city on Friday sentenced a hawker to seven years in jail for attacking a woman civic official during an anti-encroachment drive in the city in 2021, reported news agency PTI.

In his order, Additional Sessions Judge AS Bhagwat said the prosecution had proved all charges, including an attempt to murder, against the convict, Amarjitsingh Shivshankar Yadav, alias Amarjit Yadav, beyond reasonable doubt, reported PTI.

During the trial, Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hirey told the court that Assistant Municipal Commissioner Kalpita Pimple was leading a drive to clear encroachment in August 2021 when Yadav attacked her with a sharp object, severing her three fingers, reported PTI.

Hirey said that if Pimple had not raised her hands to protect herself, the attack might have proved fatal. Yadav had also threatened the other members of the civic team, including Pimple`s security guard, and assaulted some of them, he told the court.

The court examined 21 witnesses during the trial.

Hirey indicated he might appeal for a longer sentence.

“After reading the full judgment, we will decide our further course of action. However, prima facie the sentence of seven years for the crime is insufficient,” he said.

HC raises alarm over commuter deaths on Mumbai local network, calls for preventive steps

Meanwhile, the Bombay High Court on Friday expressed concern over deaths of commuters on Mumbai local trains, describing the situation as “alarming,” an observation coming days after five people lost their lives post-falling off a packed suburban service, reported PTI.

The court suggested installing automatic door-closing mechanisms in Mumbai local trains to prevent commuters from falling off, but insisted this was advice purely from a “layman” perspective and Railway expert views were needed on the issue.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Aradhe and Justice Sandeep Marne urged authorities to take measures to ensure tragic incidents don`t occur on the Mumbai suburban network in the future, reported PTI.

Citing an affidavit filed by the Railways, the court noted that in 2024 alone over 3,588 fatalities happened on local trains (due to various accidents on the suburban network), which means on average ten Mumbaikars die every day.

“This is an alarming situation. Though you have projected that there was a reduction (in casualties) of 49 per cent (compared to previous years),” the court added, reported PTI.

The division bench made the observations while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) related to deaths of commuters in accidents on Mumbai`s suburban network, considered the city`s lifeline.

(With inputs from PTI)

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