Gunfire erupts at Badlapur railway station, one injured

A man shot another at Badlapur railway station due to gang rivalry, injuring one and causing panic among commuters. The shooter was arrested.

THANE: A man fired a couple of shots from his revolver at two persons at the crowded Badlapur railway station in Thane district on Thursday evening, injuring one of them in what police said was a fallout of professional rivalry between two criminal groups.

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The incident took place at Platform No 1 at around 6 pm when the station was crowded with commuters, said the Government Railway Police (GRP). The entire incident was captured on cameras, and a video of it went viral on social media within minutes.

A dispute over financial transactions between Shankar Sansare, Vikas Pagare, Atish Rokade and Rohit Dhotre, all from Ulhasnagar’s Powai village, was the trigger for the firing. The four met outside Badlapur railway station in the evening, and had an argument that escalated. In a fit of rage, Pagare shot Sansare in the leg. The shooting caused panic among the passengers at the station.

After opening fire, Pagare ran towards the railway tracks in a bid to escape, but was chased and pinned down by policemen on duty with the help of some commuters, and later placed under arrest. The second man targeted by Pagare escaped unhurt, but his identity was not revealed. Sansare was rushed to a local hospital, where he is being treated for gunshot wounds, said the GRP.

According to the initial police report, all the individuals involved take up criminal jobs on contract. All have been externed from their respective cities and taken refuge in Ulhasnagar and the surrounding areas. The conflict between the victim and the attackers stems from a financial dispute and long-standing enmity.

Thousands of people were waiting at the station for a Karjat-bound local when they heard the gunfire. In their panic-stricken haste to escape, many of them were injured as they collided with one another in an attempt to avoid the bullets.

“It was the most frightening incident I have ever encountered,” said a 34-year-old passenger. “The attackers began firing at someone on the platform. We heard gunshots and ran up the bridge staircase, jumped to the other side of the platform, and generally fled to safety. The attackers were shouting and using abusive language. When one of them dropped his gun, some brave passengers tried to apprehend him. They managed to hold him for about 10 minutes until the police arrived.”

Amol Parab, who heard about the incident, and came to pick up his sister at the railway station, said, “Passengers are demanding stringent action against these criminals who are freely roaming in the city and endangering innocent lives. People are questioning what the city police are doing about the situation. They fail to investigate rape cases, they fail to control criminals. What are they here for?”

The GRP’s Kalyan unit, under whose jurisdiction the incident took place, was in the process of registering an FIR against the accused and carrying out a further probe. Senior officials, including the deputy commissioner of police (Central Railway), later visited the crime spot.