Riot at Malabar Hill over parking

MUMBAI: Residents of Walkeshwar Road turned violent on Wednesday over parking problems. Twenty-two people were arrested after a mob attacked officers from the Malabar Hill police station.

The incident took place at 9.05am when a towing van began taking away cars parked on Walkeshwar Road opposite Surya Darshan building and Walkeshwar House. A small crowd gathered to stop the van. When Inspector M Shanke and Constable Sunil Balkrishna Gite intervened, they were attacked. Both officers were injured. They were taken to Nair Hospital.

The residents had been served notice on March 26 that the road, all the way till Ridge Road, will be a no-parking zone from 8am to 11am and 5:30pm to 9pm daily. Many societies, including Walkeshwar House, have no parking space. Earlier, residents were allowed to park on the left of the road in the morning and on the right in the evening. The new rule upset residents. Kamlesh Barot, secretary of Surya Darshan, said it means moving the car early in the morning. “My car was towed away,” he said. “I don’t understand. Why create more problems in an effort to find solutions to other problems?”

Residents said some of those arrested on Wednesday were innocent bystanders. “Sanjay doesn’t even own a car,” said the family of Sanjay Gandhi, a resident of Walkeshwar House. “He was about to leave for office when this happened. Curiosity got the better of him and he stopped to take a look.”

The families complained that they were not allowed to meet the accused. “How can police just come and take anybody into custody and not tell people their status?” said Rajneesh Shah, whose son Nayan, 27, was held.

But police said they intervened to maintain order. “I was hit by a spare tyre and pelted with stones,” Gite said. “I fell unconscious. Even Shanke was injured.” 

Those detained were presented at the Girgaum metropolitan magistrate’s court at 6pm. According to advocate Rishi Bhuta, copies of their grievances were faxed to the chief justice of the Bombay high court, the local deputy commissioner of police, and the police commissioner.

“We moved the court at 5pm to allow family members to meet the accused,” Bhuta said, “and issued an order to the Malabar hill police station to give the status of the case. Police even threatened some of the family members to keep out of the matter.”

He said the court directed that the accused be released on a bond of Rs3,000 and similar cash surety.

While the residents are angry, DCP Pratap Dighavkar said he has not received any complaint about the police action. “Police had nothing to do with the new order,” he said. “They were merely trying to avoid a riot. The residents shouldn’t have hit a police officer.”