A woman from Mulund sustained burns when a glowing Catherine wheel (chakri) landed on her after it was allegedly kicked by a policeman at Marine Drive on Wednesday.
The family of Aarti Bhanushali, 35, said a senior officer abused and thrashed Kamlesh, one of their relatives, after he demanded action against the cop.
"The cops reached the spot around 9.45 and began clearing the area. One of them kicked a burning chakri and it hit Aarti. Her dress and hair caught fire. She is currently admitted to Masina hospital in Byculla," said Kamlesh.
The police have denied the allegations. Praveen Padwal, Additional Commissioner of Police (south region) said a team of policemen was only trying to ensure that revellers followed the timing set for burning firecrackers.
He said, "The people present there did not like being stopped so they got into an argument with the officer and later the incident took that shape. The officer had no role in provoking disturbance."
