The Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court on Wednesday that it had transferred a case involving a group of students accused of assaulting a Muslim family and forcing a man from the family to chant “Jai Shri Ram” on a train.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Mumbai resident Shaikh and his wife, who alleged that they were attacked while travelling on a train on January 19, 2024.
Shaikh claimed that after seeking help at Panvel railway station, some students were detained, but BJP MLA Nitesh Rane intervened, leading to an FIR being filed against Shaikh.
Shaikh’s plea alleged that the case was arbitrarily transferred to Kankavli, where he was assaulted while giving his statement. His vehicle was later vandalised in Mumbai, he told the court.
In June 2024, the Bombay High Court granted Shaikh police protection and agreed to hear his plea for a case transfer.
Additional Public Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde informed the bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Dr Neela Gokhale that the case had been transferred to Kudal Police Station from Kankavli, over 250 kilometres away. With the case now moved to Kudal as Shaikh wanted, the court disposed of the petition.
However, advocate Gautam Kanchanpurkar appearing for petitioner Asif Shaikh pointed out that Kudal was the constituency of BJP MLA Nilesh Rane.
However, police protection for Shaikh was withdrawn after authorities assessed his threat perception and found none. The court allowed Shaikh to seek protection again if he feels threatened in the future.