Ten arrested for assaulting corporator, civic staff

Ten people have been arrested by the Govandi police on Monday for allegedly manhandling members of a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) vigilance team and a corporator who had accompanied them to check Octroi evasion by some trucks.

According to the police, corporator Gyanmurti Sharma, 42, who is chairman of BMC's Law and Revenue Committee, had visited Govandi to conduct a surprise check on trucks which were allegedly evading octroi. "We had got information that some trucks were evading Octroi on the Sion-Trombay road. I, along with the vigilance team, intercepted two trucks and stopped them and it was then that the truck driver threatened, abused and manhandled us," said Gyanmurti Sharma. It was Sharma who immediately called the police.

"When our team reached the spot, there was a crowd that had gathered and were arguing with the complainant," said Khanderao Vidhate, senior police inspector from Govandi police station. He added: "The driver whose truck was stopped had called the other people and in no time all gathered at the spot."

The Govandi police arrested 10 people and booked them under Indian Penal Code section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty).