1 killed, hundreds lucky at Bandra stn

Within minutes the same newspaper was used by the railway police to cover the puddle of blood. But typically life resumed an even tenor as the movement of trainscontinued unaltered and commuters proceeded to their destinations after a brief, cursory look at the spot.

Those working on the platform proffered ignorance. The person manning the Wheeler book store at the foot of the bridge where the incident occurred said he had not heard or seen anything while a shoe shine boy, more forthcoming, admitted to having heard the noise of gunshots. “I thought it was someone bursting crackers. Then I saw the injured boy running this way along with other commuters.”

At Bhabha Hospital, Siddiqui who is an engineering student CRCE Fr Agnel College in Bandra, and who was hit on the knee recounted the horror: “I was just waiting for the fast train when suddenly I heard a sound like crackers bursting and saw people running. I too began to run and then my right ear started buzzing. Next I saw a hole in my jeans near the right knee and then blood started trickling from there. It was then I realised that I was hurt.”

Siddiqui, a resident of Four Bungalows, Andheri, said thathe had gone to Bandra to visit someone and had been waiting on the platform for about five minutes before the incident occurred. Still stunned after his brush with death, he called home at 1 pm after reaching hospital. The doctors at Bandra Bhabha said that the bullet had entered and exited from his knee without hitting the bone. Not so fortunate is Sonawane who is at present in the ICU.Till late evening the police and hospital authorities had not been able to notify his family.

Today’s incident is a blatant mockery of the claim of the Mumbai police that the common man here is the safest, and also of the recent efforts of the state government and railway police to ensure the safety of the Mumbai commuter. According to investigating officer, senior police inspector A L Gaikwad of Bandra Railway police station, the assailants used foreign-made 9 mm pistols. There were two railway police force (RPF) constables on duty at Bandra railway station today and both were on platform number one when the incidentoccurred. Bandra station also had five GRP staff on duty but no one happened to be near the site. Top police officials including Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) D Shivanandan, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) (Zone VII) K L Prasad, DCP (Crime) Parambir Singh paid a visit to the site at Bandra station a few hours later.

Superintendent of Police (Railways) S Ramachandran, who has been spearheading the investigation said that preliminary investigations have revealed that Maktabey was a trustee of Juma Masjid of Bombay Trust. Police also suspect him to be a financier of Chhota Shakeel. Fours years ago, Maktabey had been interrogated by the city police in connection with the murder of then BJP MLA Ramdas Nayak.