Another resident of Pereirawadi hit with stone

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: Residents of Bandra's Pereirawadi seem to be paying the price for standing up against a builder.
    Barely three days after some women in the area alleged that an associate of prime promoter Cyril Macwan had hit one of them with a stone, 47-year-old Ram Dayal Yadav was also assaulted in a similar manner early on Tuesday.
    Yadav, a milkman, had not signed the redevelopment agreement. Ever since their homes were demolished two months ago, he and his family have been living on the road. Eyewitnesses said early on Tuesday, three unidentified men got off an autorickshaw and one of them smashed a stone on Yadav's head while he was asleep. "We took him to Bhabha Hospital where we were asked to get a CT scan done and the neighbouring private hospital was too expensive. So we were forced to take him all the way to KEM Hospital,'' said a relative. Yadav is now recuperating at KEM Hospital.
    Residents trace the attack back to Sunday when Macwan had allegedly threatened Yadav with dire consequences if he did not sign the redevelopment deal. "Yadav and his family have been living under a tarpaulin shed on the road. Two days ago, Macwan had approached him and asked him to sign the paper. The attack cannot be a mere coincidence,'' said Nicholas Almeida, an activist who has been helping the residents.
    They added that the indifference on the part of the Bandra police by refusing to register an FIR against the culprits did not come as a surprise. "When we went to the police station, which was immediately, the officers asked us to come back the next morning,'' said Ashwin Parmar, a resident.
    A similar incident occurred on Thursday when Daksha Parmar was attacked with a stone on her head. She had to have eight stitches.
    Now, residents say they have lost faith in the local police. "There is a police van stationed outside 24x7. But often, they are only mere spectators to all that happens. There are strangers in the area, monitoring our movement," said Molly Fernandes, another resident.
    Macwan, however, denied the allegations. "These people are already on the road. If they keep opposing, their rights on the land will soon go. If anything happens, they point fingers at me,'' he said.
    Prakash George, senior police inspector of Bandra police station, was not available.

APPEAL FOR HELP: The residents of Pereirawadi in Bandra met joint commissioner of police Rakesh Maria on Tuesday