A DAY after the charred bodies of two policemen were found in the Vanjerpati area of Bhiwandi, investigations have revealed that the policemen were patrolling the riot-affected locality on a motorbike and were attacked by a mob after their vehicle skidded due to the rains.
Thane residents Balasaheb Gangurde (45), who was posted at the Narpoli police station and Ramesh Jagtap (45), who was attached to the Bhoiwada police station, were stoned and stabbed to death.
Their bodies were then thrown inside a State Transport bus, which was torched by the mob.
‘‘At about 9.30 pm, the constables were out patrolling the streets when their bike skidded as the road was slippery due to the rains. Both fell off,’’ said Director General of Police P S Pasricha.
‘‘A short distance ahead, a mob burning buses saw the two policemen and started pelting stones at them. The constables were not burnt alive.
They were stoned and stabbed to death by the crowd. The mob might then have thrown their bodies into the fire,’’ Pasricha added.
When asked how such a situation could have prevailed when the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) had been deployed, Pasricha replied: ‘‘Bhiwandi is a very large area and it is not easy to post men at every single spot. Moreover, a majority of
SRPF personnel reached after midnight.’’
A day after the protests against the construction of a police station near a mosque ended in four deaths, the powerloom town continued to stay tense.
Though the Raza Academy had called for a bandh, there were sporadic stone-throwing incidents and angry mobs continued to target state transport (ST) buses. Six ST buses were burnt on Thursday, prompting the suspension of all ST services in Bhiwandi.
Thousands also took to the streets when the two victims of Wednesday’s police firing were buried.
Powerloom worker S Alam Momin’s 17-year-old son Momin Azghar Ali was one of the victims.
After spending a sleepless night worrying about his son’s whereabouts, Momin was shattered when he read a local newspaper on Thursday and learnt that Ali had died in Wednesday’s police firing.
‘‘We thought he had taken shelter somewhere. We were worried, but thought he would return home safe...,’’ said Momin.
According to an eyewitness, Ali, a construction labourer at Nizampur, was carrying a police lathi in his hand when the crowd started pelting stones on the police. Ali had left the construction site to have lunch.
Meanwhile, the Raza Academy—its members led demonstrations against the police station on Wednesday—tried to distance itself from the incident. General Secretary Mohammed Noori issued a statement on Thursday condemning the killings and demanded a judicial probe into Wednesday’s events.
‘‘The construction of the police station on the Muslim burial ground had angered the Muslim community of Bhiwandi, and despite several protests, the authorities were not willing to lend any hearing to the issue, nor were they keen on finding a solution,’’ the statement read.
In the line of duty
Constable Balasaheb Gangurde (45) was attached to the Narpoli police station from July 9, 2001, and stayed with his wife and two daughters at Vartak Nagar in Bhiwandi. His body was taken to his native village Devra in Nashik district.
Head Constable Ramesh Jagtap (45) had been posted at Bhiwandi’s Bhoiwada police station since April this year. He is survived by his wife, three daughters and a son. His body was taken to his native village Chalisgaon in Dhule district.