Linking Rd hawkers attack official during eviction

An eviction drive at Linking Road turned ugly when the hawkers allegedly turned violent and attacked a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) official from the H-west ward.

However, what surprised the residents was the BMC’s meek reaction.  Instead of taking stern action against the errant hawkers, the officials hushed up the matter with an apology and Rs1,200 fine.

On Friday, BMC’s joint action officer Prakash Jadhav had come to confiscate goods of unauthorised hawkers when he had an argument with two hawkers - Naem and Qadirbhai.

“In a fit of anger, Qadirbhai picked up a stool and flung it at the official,” said a hawker on condition of anonymity.

“Qadirbhai then spat betel juice on Jadhav and even hit him,” he added.

Citispace member Aftab Siddique, who was present at the spot at the time of the incident, called the police when the brawl broke out.

However, he was surprised when the BMC official didn’t lodge a complaint against the hawker. “The whole matter was settled with a fine and a mere apology,” he said.

When contacted, Jadhav claimed that the mater was resolved. “There was some misunderstanding due to which the hawkers got violent. We have lodged an NC with the police,” he said.

However, the recent incident has raised questions as to why the civic body isn’t keen to take action against unlicenced hawkers.

“The high handed attitude of the hawkers is result of the nexus between the civic body,  politicians and the hawkers,” said Maria Nazareth, a resident of the area.