Mumbai hoarding owner booked in rape case, fined at least 21 times for illegal billboards in past
Mumbai: The owner of the illegal hoarding, which collapsed on the petrol pump in the Ghatkopar area of Mumbai on Monday following gusty winds and rain leading to 14 deaths so far, was booked in a rape case by the Mumbai police earlier this year.
The Pant Nagar police, under whose jurisdiction the Mumbai hoarding collapse incident took place, on Monday night registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Bhavesh Prabhudas Bhinde, 51, the director of Ego Media Pvt Ltd which had the contract for the hoarding on a 10-year lease.
As per court documents, a rape and molestation case was registered against Bhinde at the Mulund police station on January 24 this year. He was eventually granted anticipatory bail by the Bombay High Court. “A rape case was registered against him. A chargesheet has already been filed in the matter,” said Ajay Joshi, Senior Inspector, Mulund Police Station.
Bhinde, who contested as an Independent candidate in the 2009 Maharashtra Assembly elections, had then declared 21 instances where he was fined under the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act for putting up banners without permission and two offences related to the Negotiable Instruments (NI) Act that usually pertain to cheque bouncing.
Apart from this, as per submissions he made while contesting the 2009 Assembly polls in Maharashtra from Mulund, Bhide declared he had been charged under sections 328 (putting hoarding without permission) and 471 (fines) of the MMC Act on 21 occasions and had two cases under the NI Act. The status of the cases is unclear.
In the latest FIR registered against him at the Pant Nagar police station on Monday night in connection with the Mumbai hoarding collapse incident, he was charged under sections 304 (culpable homicide), 338 (causing grievous hurt), 337 (causing hurt by negligent act), 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The Ghatkopar hoarding situated beside a petrol pump at Pant Nagar on the Eastern Express Highway (EEH) measured 120 x 120 as against the permitted size of 40 x 40 feet.
On Monday, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief Bhushan Gagrani said the Ghatkopar hoarding was illegal as the civic body had not permitted erecting it. “The location where the incident occurred has four hoardings set up on the Railway land and one of them has collapsed. The BMC had been objecting to (setting up) hoardings for one year,” said Gagrani.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
