Case against Maratha quota protesters for assaulting passenger, vandalising BEST bus

Mumbai: Police have registered a case against nearly 10 unidentified Maratha quota protesters for allegedly assaulting a passenger and vandalising a BEST bus at a depot in Mumbai, officials said on Tuesday.

Protesters gathered for the Maratha quota agitation here allegedly manhandled a passenger and vandalised the bus at Juhu depot on Sunday evening over the issue of sharing a seat, they said.

A scuffle broke out between protesters and some passengers when the bus leased from a private operator was parked at the Juhu depot and the crew was away at around 7.15 pm on Sunday, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking said on Monday.

Protesters allegedly boarded the bus, assaulted a passenger and broke a window before the crew reached the scene and tried to pacify them, according to police and BEST officials.

In a video of the incident, which has gone viral on social media, a few protesters wearing saffron caps and scarves and a few passengers can be seen hitting and punching each other.

The bus crew alerted the police, but both the protesters and the passengers fled before the police arrived at the scene, according to the BEST spokesperson.

Taking cognisance of the incident, the Juhu police on Monday registered a case against 10 to 12 unidentified persons under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for rioting, assault and damaging public property, an official said.