MUMBAI: The Dadar police on Friday arrested a 55-year-old bus conductor for allegedly hurling a stone at a BEST bus’ front windshield, shattering the glass and damaging public property in central Mumbai during a strike.The accused arrested identified as Suresh Markadey Maheshwaram is a resident of BEST colony, Saibaba Road in ParelHe was produced before a court and remanded in police custody for two days.Suraj Jayram Bahile (30), a contractual driver with BEST transport undertaking lodged an FIR with the police on Friday evening against four unidentified persons.The incident allegedly took place Friday noon near Croma Junction, Century Bazar, Prabhadevi, in central Mumbai.Police said that four unidentified men, approximately 30–35 years-olds, had covered their faces with handkerchiefs.Police sources said that on June 19, various BEST workers’ unions had called for a strike. However, the complainant driver, Suraj Bahile, and his conductor, Shashikant Tatyaba Lokhande (51) decided to report for duty instead of participating in the strike.Bahile had been assigned to drive a BEST bus operating between Acharya Atre Chowk and Worli.Around 12:50 pm, while the bus, carrying passengers, was approaching the BEST stop at Babasaheb Warlikar Chowk in Prabhadevi, a man aged 30–35, with a handkerchief tied around his face, ran towards the bus holding a stone.He hurled the stone at the bus’s front windshield, shattering the glass and damaging public property. This left the 12–13 passengers, as well as the driver and conductor, terrified.When the complainant stopped the bus, two or three other unidentified individuals, supporters of the strike, approached and verbally abused and threatened the driver and conductor for not participating in the strike.The accused then fled the scene. With police assistance, the bus was safely parked at the Worli bus station, and the complainant lodged a formal complaint at the Dadar police station under various sections of the BNS and Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984.
