A 54-year-old head constable from Bandra police station was battling for his life in Lilavati Hospital on Sunday after an iron net fell on him during a BMC demolition drive in Khar market in Khar (west) on Saturday.
According to the police the constable Ajitkumar Shantaram Khavale is a resident of Mahim police quarters and his family comprises his wife and two grown up sons. Senior police inspector Dattatray Bhargude of Khar police said Mr Khavale is kept on a ventilator. The incident occurred at 11 am outside a dilapidated BMC structure, which houses an air quality research monitoring lab and Acharya Atmarambhau lad Mandali, a market.
Several illegal hawkers have come up on the footpath surrounding the structure and the BMC was carrying a demolition drive to flush them out. While they were destructing the fruit stall owned by Radha Gupta they used a JCB crane.
The crane was pulling out a plastic cover put above the illegal fruit stall and while pulling it down, an iron net to which it was tied got pulled down. The iron net fell on Mr Khavale who suffered a grievous head injury and has been hospitalised.
Based on the BMC’s complaint the Khar police have booked Gupta and her son Sagar. Officials of BMC have alleged that Gupta and Sagar should have informed the BMC about the net in advance. Further, they were creating obstruction during the demolition drive and in the melee the incident occurred.
The Asian Age visited the spot on Sunday and a eyewitnesses who saw the incident said that Mr Khavale was busy clearing onlookers from the footpath when the net fell on him from behind.
