4 Civic Personnel Hurt in Attack by Hawkers

Thane:  Four civic personnel were injured when they were allegedly attacked by an irate mob of hawkers in the city.

An anti-encroachment drive was carried out last evening by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to remove the hawkers who had illegally set up stalls on the roadside in Manorama Nagar locality in Thane.

When ward officer Zunjar Pardeshi along with his staff went ahead with clearing the encroachments, nearly 500 hawkers manhandled them injuring the four, Assistant Municipal Commissioner Maruti Gaikwad of Manpada-Majiwada ward office said today.

Mr Pardeshi, who sustained major injuries in the attack, was admitted to a hospital, he said.

The other three injured were members of the TMC’s demolition squad.

The anti-encroachment drive was, however, smooth in some other localities, he said.

Offences under sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 145, 147 (rioting), 149, 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 333, 353 and 427 (mischief) of the IPC have been registered, police sub-inspector D B Mukne said, adding that no arrest has been made so far in this connection.