Mumbai: The Samta Nagar police registered a case against five individuals for allegedly physically assaulting and verbally abusing police personnel, as well as obstructing government work.

On September 2 in Kandivali East, a police team on duty was allegedly abused and pushed by relatives of a drunk-driving accused while action was being taken against him. The incident also involved attempts to obstruct government work.

A case has been registered against five people, including three women. The Samta Nagar police arrested two accused, identified as Ajay Ramesh Bamane and Ganesh Bamane, who were later released on notice. The three women—Vidya Sonawane, Vijaya Bhat, and Varsha Bamane—have been named as co-accused and declared wanted in the case.

According to the police, the incident occurred on Tuesday, September 2, at around 12:45 p.m. near the Akurli Road Subway, Big Bazaar, Kandivali. Local police had increased patrolling and blockades during Ganeshotsav to prevent any untoward incidents. That afternoon, a team from Samta Nagar Police Station, along with traffic police, was on blockade duty in the Big Bazaar area when Police Constable Surwale noticed that Ajay Bamane was driving under the influence of alcohol.

He was stopped, and action was initiated against him. At this point, his relatives—Vidya Sonawane, Vijaya Bhat, Varsha Bamane, and Ganesh Bamane—intervened and began arguing with the police. They allegedly gathered unlawfully, abused the police, and attempted to assault them to stop the action against Ajay. They reportedly tried to attack Police Constable Siddharth Kini, Sub-Inspector Garad, and Woman Constable Tandale, even scratching PSI Garad with their nails while obstructing her from performing her duty. The situation created a tense atmosphere in the area.

On receiving information, additional police personnel from Samta Nagar Police Station rushed to the spot. Ajay Bamane and Ganesh Bamane, who were found arguing with and assaulting police officers, were detained for questioning. A case was registered against all five accused under sections related to obstructing government work, abuse, pushing, and assaulting police officers.

Mumbai: On Friday, auto stocks saw a strong rally after the GST Council’s decision to cut tax rates on small cars and motorcycles. The BSE Auto Index rose by 1.30 percent, closing at 58,883.09 points. This surge came as the market responded positively to the new two-slab GST system — 5 percent and 18 percent — announced to take effect from September 22, the first day of Navaratri.

Hyundai Motor India led the auto sector gains, rising 2.69 percent on the BSE. Other top performers included Eicher Motors (+2.43 percent), Mahindra & Mahindra (+2.34 percent), and Ashok Leyland (+2.22 percent).

Maruti Suzuki also climbed 1.70 percent, while TVS Motor went up 1.28 percent. Smaller gains were seen in Sona BLW (0.80 percent), Bharat Forge (0.77 percent), Tata Motors (0.63 percent), Bajaj Auto (0.22 percent), and Hero MotoCorp (0.21 percent).

The reduction in GST rates from 28 percent to 18 percent on many popular vehicle categories is being seen as a major positive move. It affects petrol, LPG, and CNG vehicles with engine sizes under 1,200cc and length under 4,000 mm, and diesel vehicles under 1,500cc and 4,000 mm. Two-wheelers like motorcycles under 350cc will also now attract 18 percent GST, down from the current 28 percent.

Experts believe the decision will benefit first-time buyers and middle-class families, especially during the upcoming festive season. According to Ajit Mishra of Religare Broking, the move is ‘timely and will inject fresh momentum’ into the auto sector. Industry players say this will not only boost sales but also investor confidence in automotive stocks.

Mumbai: Three Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel accused of extorting money from a passenger at Mumbai Central terminus have moved the Bombay High Court seeking anticipatory bail after a sessions court rejected their plea last week.

The trio — Rahul Bhosale (47), Lalit Jagtap (50) and Anil Rathod (37) — have allegedly been absconding since August 18, when an FIR was registered. The sessions court had refused relief, observing that custodial interrogation was essential as the search of the victim’s bag was carried out in a room and not under CCTV surveillance, in violation of norms, reflecting the “ill intention” of the accused.

According to the complaint, the incident occurred on August 10 when a Rajasthan-based jeweller and his eight-year-old daughter were about to board the Duronto Express. A policeman allegedly stopped them for baggage inspection. During the search, officers found 14 grams of gold and over Rs 31,000 in cash, for which the businessman gave satisfactory explanations.

Nevertheless, he was allegedly taken to a room, threatened, abused, and forced to sign a blank paper. The officers are accused of extorting Rs 30,000 from him, returning only Rs 1,900 as “travel expenses,” while handing back the gold. The victims were allegedly told to “run away,” after which they returned to Rajasthan and later lodged a complaint.

The prosecution contended before the sessions court that the policemen violated standard operating procedures that mandate baggage checks be done under CCTV and duly recorded. The delay in lodging the FIR was explained as the victims were shaken and had to approach different police authorities.

The accused, however, claimed they were falsely implicated and that the delay made the prosecution’s version doubtful. They argued they were only discharging their duties. Their plea is likely to be heard by the high court next week.