BMC squad attacked at Haji Ali

A team of civic body’s encroachment removal squad was attacked by a mob during a hawker removal drive at Haji Ali junction on Monday. The attackers were allegedly hawkers or people incited by them. Four security personnel, including a deputy municipal commissioner, were injured. One of them, an assistant security officer, has been admitted at Nair hospital for treatment. Officials said an FIR has been lodged at Tardeo police station.

A team of encroachment removal squad, headed by deputy municipal commissioner Chandrashekhar Rokade were acting against illegal hawkers and seizing goods, but some hawkers had hidden their ware at the civic body’s new pumping station near Haji Ali. When the squad seized these goods, a mob of 15 youth started pelting stones at it.

“The sudden attack did not give us a chance to retaliate. We managed to save ourselves with the help of plastic chairs kept at the spot,” said Rokade.

“This incident will not stop us. It is, however, a sign that we have to be careful and be prepared to tackle such attacks,” he added.

In February, a mob attacked a squad demolishing encroachments outside Dadar railway station. In another incident at Dharavi in February, another such team faced ire of locals. When the team arrived at Dharavi to remove encroachments around the Prem Nagar nullah, part of a vital drain in the tributary carrying waste water from Dadar, Matunga and Dharavi into the Mithi river, a group of over a 1,000 men surrounded the civic team and manhandled them.