Hawker who beat up activist in Borivali nabbed

Says he and his friends lost their temper because activist, Piyusha Mehta, repeatedly complained about their hawking
Dayanand Kamath
The Borivali police arrested a hawker, on Saturday, who was part of a group that allegedly beat up 50-year-old Piyusha Mehta, a social activist who had complained about illegal hawkers operating in and around Borivali railway station.
"The hawker was identified as Vinay Pandey, 20, who sold paan outside Borivali railway station at night. He was booked under Section 326 IPC and was remanded to police custody till January 19 by the Borivali metropolitan court," said senior police inspector Bhagwan Chate of Borivali police station and added that the victim did not know the names of the other hawkers who attacked her.
During interrogation, Pandey revealed that he used to sell paan inside Borivali railway station. But, for the past few months, he had been selling paan outside the railway station as Mehta frequently complained about illegal hawkers operating on the Borivali railway station. Based on her complaint, Railway Protection Force (RPF) personnel took stern action against the hawkers and did not allow them inside station premises.
Mehta saw Pandey and others hawking outside the station on Wednesday and lodged a complaint against them at the RPF office in Borivali. Fed up with her frequent complaints, Pandey and three other hawkers beat her up with canes outside the station on Thursday, at around 10.30pm. She sustained injuries on her head and both hands. After being discharged from Bhagwati Hospital, she lodged a police complaint against the hawkers.