“It is the first time that such an incident has taken place between Sandhurst Road and Masjid stations. Never before has a case of ‘fatka’ been reported in the area. We have increased the presence of GRP staff at the location,” Samadhan Pawar, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Region, GRP said. (Representational Image)
TWO DAYS after a 23-year-old woman fell off a train when she was allegedly struck by a juvenile with a rod between Sandhurst Road and Masjid stations, the Government Railway Police (GRP) has said the spot was never prone to such incidents. The GRP said ‘fatka’ robberies have never been reported from the area before. Additional staff members have been deployed to monitor the stretch, officials said.
On Wednesday, Dravita Singh fell off a train and lost two of her fingers, broke one finger in her left hand and part of her right foot. She was on her way to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) when she managed to roll away from the tracks as a down train bore down on her. But the sole of her right foot got crushed.
“It is the first time that such an incident has taken place between Sandhurst Road and Masjid stations. Never before has a case of ‘fatka’ been reported in the area. We have increased the presence of GRP staff at the location,” Samadhan Pawar, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Region, GRP said. In ‘fatka’ robberies, victims often get startled after being hit with a rod or a stick and then they are robbed. The boy who allegedly hit Dravita has no past criminal record. He stole Dravita’s phone and has been held. The boy sold the phone to a woman who lives in a slum at Masjid. She has been arrested too. “We have been trying to arrange for funds required to treat Dravita. The total cost of treatment has come to Rs 2,30,000. We are in talks with our relatives to help us arrange that,” Hemant Singh, Dravita’s father said. He works as an assistant manager at an import-export firm at CSMT.
Hemant added that doctors are examining the level of injuries in Dravita’s leg based on which they will decide if it needs to be amputated. “She is better now but is not talking much. She is in deep shock,” he added.
On Friday, a Mumbai court sent the juvenile and the arrested woman to jail custody till February 22. “We just hope that the judiciary takes action. We condemn the law and order mechanism of the state if it cannot protect my daughter. The incident has ruined her life,” Hemant said. The Central Railway has reported 60 ‘fatka’ cases in 2017.