Mumbai: The sessions court has convicted a 40-year-old BMC employee attached to the fire brigade for assaulting a BEST bus driver in April 2014. The court, in its decision, has denied him the benefit of the Probation Act, stating that as a public servant, he should have been more careful.
The April 2014 incident:
On April 30, 2014, Vitthal Avhad, the complainant, was driving a bus on route number 174 from Wadala to Borivali. The incident occurred when Amit Shinde, the accused, assaulted Avhad for not allowing him to overtake.
Around 2:19 pm, while the bus was en route from Borivali to Wadala, a motorcyclist started honking to overtake. Avhad claimed that when he ignored the biker, the motorcyclist proceeded to overtake the bus and stood in front of it, hurling abuses. The motorcyclist then pulled the driver-side door of the bus, climbed aboard, and slapped Avhad in the face. Passengers intervened, urging the assailant not to assault the driver. Subsequently, Avhad, the conductor, and witnesses went to the police station to file a report.
After considering the evidence, including testimony from the driver, conductor, and a passenger, the court found Shinde guilty of assaulting and obstructing the BEST driver from performing his duty.
Shinde pleaded for leniency, emphasizing that it was his first offense and that he, too, is a public servant. However, the court rejected his plea, noting, "It is to be seen that the accused is grown up enough to understand the nature and consequences of his act. When he is also a public servant, extra care was expected from him.
