Kirti Chakra Awardee Lieutenant Colonel Anup Joseph Manjali was allegedly assaulted by five young men riding a motorcycle on a footpath in Mumbai’s Malad in the early hours of Sunday, 6 January, reported The Hindu.
The youngsters attacked the army officer while he was waiting on the footpath for his mother at Malad West. However, the trio left Manjali following intervention by his mother.
According to news agency PTI, three men have now been arrested.
Speaking to The Hindu, Manjali said:
“As I stood there, one of the guys came riding on the footpath with two women riding pillion, and demanded that I move out of his way. I stood my ground and he pushed me out of the way with his bike. One of the women got off the bike and started abusing and screaming at me. One of the men started hitting me with a helmet, and in seconds, two more bikes reached there and all of the guys started attacking me. I had raised neither my voice nor my hand at them.”Lieutenant Colonel Anup Joseph Manjali to The Hindu
Lt. Col. Manjali who sustained a dislocated shoulder, eye injuries, and injuries to the forehead and head, is being treated at a suburban hospital.
Senior Police Inspector Vijay Bane of the Bangur Nagar police station told The Hindu that three accused were arrested and produced in court on Sunday and that there are no absconding accused.
“There are no other absconding accused. Two women were also present and were later allowed to go,” Bane added.
An officer at the Bangur Nagar police station also claimed that the CCTV camera in the area was missing.
The accused, Sagar Vinay Singh , Shaun Merrian D’Souza and Khizara Abbas Hasan Zaidi, were booked under Sections 325, 324 and 34 of the Criminal Procedure Code, the police said, according to The Hindu.
Meanwhile, condolences have been pouring in for the injured Army officer. MP Rajeev Chandrasekhar urged the government to take cognisance of the incident.
Lt. Col. Manjali was awarded the second highest peace time gallantry award in 2013 for eliminating three terrorists in 2013. He is currently attached to the 12 Bihar regiment.
Here is a clip of the army officer winning the second highest gallantry award.
(With inputs from The Hindu and NDTV)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)