By Ketan Ranga, Mumbai Mirror | Dec 19, 2013,
BJP workers strip and thrash innocent boys for ‘stealing cell phone’
Though cops gave the duo a clean chit, they still have not registered cases against BJP workers.

BJP workers on Tuesday allegedly stripped a young boy, hung him upside down and thrashed him, accusing the teen of being behind a string of mobile phone thefts in Nirmal Nagar, Bandra East.

It later turned out the boy and his friend, who was also confined, were innocent. Though the police gave the duo a clean chit, they still have not registered cases against the BJP workers. The victim’s family alleged the teens were even made to sit naked in the police station.

Wasim Mohammed Rafi, 16, a SIM card salesman, said he was confined and beaten up in the office of Nirmal Nagar corporator Mahesh Parkar, who denied the charge. A medical report by doctors of VN Desai Hospital, where Wasim was admitted late last night, said he was assaulted using bamboo sticks.

On Tuesday evening, Wasim had just returned home from work and was talking to his friend Ajay Dhakle, when Bablu Singh, the BJP ward president, arrived with a few men and started abusing Wasim.

“They kept saying I had stolen their phones and asked me to return them,” said Wasim. “When I told them I did not steal anything, they dragged us to the office of the corporator at Shantilal Compound in Khareast. They hung me upside down and in a fourth floor room and thrashed me. They even beat up my friend Ajay and threatened to throw him on the railway tracks.” The mob then marched the duo to the Nirmal Nagar police station. They allegedly kept thrashing the two on the way. Worse, the teens were then made to sit naked in the police station.

At around 7 pm, Wasim’s uncle Mohammed Shafi and Ajay’s father Gyaneshwar rushed to the police station. “Both the boys were sitting inside the police station with their bodies swollen,” said Shafi. “And the police had not taken any action against the attackers. We first took the boys to a hospital. When we returned and asked the police to take our complaint, they told us the shift had changed and that we had to come back in the morning.”

Dhakle said, “My son was sitting naked when I reached the police station. I made my elder son take off his clothes and give it to him. This is complete goondagiri and there is no case or any criminal record against the boys.”

Later in the night Wasim started vomiting and was rushed to VN Desai Hospital. His face and limbs were swollen, according to doctors who attended to him.

Corporator Parkar sought to distance himself from the incident. “I was not there. I did not even know who did this.”

Senior inspector Ashok Borse said, “We have taken the victim’s statement and will take necessary action. The attack did not take place inside Parkar’s office, but in the compound. I have heard that BJP worker Bablu Singh is involved. We will check it and take the necessary action.”

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