The Bhandup police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against four individuals for their involvement in assaulting a man accused of molesting a woman. The incident occurred on October 6 in Bhandup’s Ramabai Nagar. The accused man reportedly entered the woman’s residence and molested her, leading to her neighbors discovering the incident and apprehending the man. Subsequently, the group verbally and physically attacked the accused.
The victim’s brother informed the police, stating, “I was told by my brother’s friend that a group of unidentified individuals brutally assaulted my brother Bharat with a bat and kicked him. He has been admitted to Sion Hospital, and the doctor has reported significant injuries to his chest and back.”
The accused man, identified as Bharat Ghadge, is a 42-year-old rickshaw driver. According to the police, Ghadge entered a residence and molested a woman. When the neighbors learned of the incident, they apprehended and assaulted him. Video footage depicts Ghadge in a partially unclothed state while the group physically assaults and verbally abuses him.
“Ghadge has been admitted to the hospital and is now stable. We filed an FIR against him on allegations of molesting a woman and also registered an FIR against the group for assaulting him. Further investigations are ongoing,” stated Dattatray Khandagle, Senior Police Inspector at Bhandup police station.
Ghadge has been charged under Sections 354 (assault or use of criminal force to outrage a woman’s modesty), 509 (an act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman), and 448 (trespassing) of the Indian Penal Code.
The group of men who attacked Ghadge includes Sagar Yadav, 26, Indar Jadhav, 23, Akshay Vaghote, 21, and Tushar Parkar, 29. They have been charged under IPC Sections 324 (voluntarily causing hurt), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 504 (intentional insult), and 34 (common intention).