FPJ Impact: Mumbai Journo Who Slammed Ola Driver To Ground In Ghatkopar Charged With Attempted Murder; Arrested

Mumbai, September 1: The driver of an Audi involved in the assault of an Ola driver on August 18 was arrested by Parksite police late Saturday night. The accused, Rishabh Chakravorty, a journalist,  was initially booked under bailable offences. The FPJ was the first to report about the video of the horrific inicdent in which Chakravorty could be seen lifting the driver Kaimuddin Quereshi and throwing him violently in the compound of the upmarket housing complex 'The Address', LBS Marg, Ghatkopar (W).

FPJ Report Sparked Chorus For Justice

The FPJ report sparked public outrage  and social media outcry, with many expressing shock that the police have not applied the relevant sections of law.

Noted lawyers like Rizwan Merchant demanded that the charge of attempt to murder should be applied. Samajwadi Party MLA of Mankhurd, in whose constituency Quereshi lived, former minister Arif Naseem Khan and others took the issue with the police and demanded stringent punishment of the accused. 

Following this, the police added a serious, non-bailable charge of attempt to  murder under Section 109 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on Saturday.

Accused Sent To 7-Day Police Custody

Following the addition of this charge, a police team reached Chakravorthy’s residence at The Address on LBS Marg in Ghatkopar West and placed him under arrest. On Sunday, the magistrate court remanded him to police custody for seven days.

The Free Press Journal was the first to report this case on Thursday. The incident involved Ola driver Kaimuddin Moinuddhin Qureshi, a resident of Govandi, who was allegedly assaulted by Chakravorthy.

CCTV footage, which went viral on social media, shows Chakravorthy lifting Qureshi and violently throwing him to the ground, causing Qureshi’s head to hit the concrete floor. Rather than assisting Qureshi, Chakravorthy, along with his mother and wife, is seen entering their luxury apartment complex.

Injured Cabbie Sustained Serious Head Injuries

It was the security guards who eventually helped Qureshi to Rajawadi Hospital. Due to the severity of his injuries, Qureshi was later transferred to JJ Hospital, where he was admitted to the ICU for seven days. He sustained serious head injuries, including skull fractures, and minor fractures to his hands and legs.

After being discharged on the condition of complete rest, Qureshi's statement was recorded by police on Thursday morning, leading to an FIR being registered against Chakravorthy and his wife, Antara Ghosh. Initially, the FIR included charges under Sections 115 (voluntarily causing hurt), 117 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace) of the BNS—all of which are bailable offences.

Under the new provisions, these sections carry a punishment of less than seven years, meaning the police were not required to arrest the accused.

However, expert criminal lawyers, local residents, and social media users strongly demanded that Chakravorthy be charged with more serious criminal offences and be placed under arrest for his actions.