Mumbai: A sessions court recently convicted an autorickshaw driver for assaulting a BEST bus driver with an iron rod and damaging the vehicle during an incident that occurred over thirteen years ago. Vikas Shinde was found guilty of deterring a public servant from his duty and causing hurt, resulting in a sentence of six months of simple imprisonment, along with a fine.The confrontation took place on the evening of December 16, 2012, near the Madina Masjid bus stop in Parksite, Vikhroli. According to the prosecution, Ramesh Gholap was driving a bus on route 387, when Shinde blocked the path with his autorickshaw. Shinde then boarded the bus, verbally abused Gholap, and struck his left arm with an iron rod before using it to smash the bus’s left headlight. While the defense argued there was an inordinate four-day delay in filing the police report, the court accepted Gholap’s explanation that he was unwell following the assault. Additional Sessions Judge R J Pawar noted that the testimonies of the driver and the bus conductor, who served as an eyewitness, were “credible, trustworthy and confidence inspiring”.
