Mumbai corporator, others booked for abusing woman over society’s redevelopment

Borivli police have booked a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator and other persons for allegedly threatening, abusing and molesting a 33-year-old doctor on several occasions

Borivli police have booked a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator and other persons for allegedly threatening, abusing and molesting a 33-year-old doctor on several occasions. The doctor had asked for documents related to the redevelopment of their housing society in Borivli (West).

Mumbai corporator, others booked for abusing woman over society’s redevelopment

The first information report (FIR) was registered on January 30, even though the victim filed a written complaint with the police in November 2020, after conducting a preliminary inquiry.

The police have booked the complainant’s uncle Pradeep Sharma, secretary of the society, Harish Chheda, a BJP corporator, who is also the chairman of the society and other members - Nitin Mehta and Ravi Jain. All of them are booked for molestation, assault and threatening the complainant, under relevant sections of Indian Penal Code.

According to police, the woman in her statement claimed that since her parents are not fit for dealing with legal issues, she had been given the authority to attend society matters.

The complainant who returned from Dubai, after leaving her job, to look after her ailing parents claimed, that in 2018 she had been abused and threatened her at her uncle’s house when she asked to see the minutes of the meetings and legal documents relating to redevelopment plans of the society, Jai Shreenath Apartments, at Mandapeshwar Road.

“ The men abused and tried to hit me because I asked for the documents related to the redevelopment of the building,” said the complainant.

In 2019 too, the woman claimed, she had been a victim of abuse by the builder and her uncle.

On March 8, 2020, the woman said that when she went to the society office to attend a meeting, she was cornered by the accused and beaten up inside the watchman’s cabin.

“The society members did not even allow me to attend the meeting as I was the only one asking questions about the redevelopment,” said the woman.

Vishal Thakur, deputy commissioner of police zone 11 said the police will take action against the accused under the law. “We are investigating the case at present,” he added.

Chheda said that the allegations were baseless and that such an incident did not occur. “These are just tactics as the high court has ordered the family to vacate the premises,” said Chheda. Parag Mehta, however, said the claims made by the woman were false and she was fabricating a story just to stall the redevelopment. They filed a case against them after the victim was asked to vacate the premises, he said.

“On March 8, I had left the meeting within 15 minutes and no assault had taken place. The meeting was called to grant the victim a NOC to sell her flat, however, she did not speak on the subject,” Mehta said, adding that, they had the consent of 59 members of the society and only this woman was refusing to give consent.