3 robbers assault student on skywalk he flagged as unsafe

MUMBAI: Three men rained blows on an IIT-Bombay staffer's son on the unlit skywalk at Panch Kutir, Powai, in a failed bid to snatch his cash and cellphone on Wednesday night, merely a month and a half after the victim had complained in a tweet about the pitch-black conditions on the bridge.
Aniruddha Sawant, a management graduate who despite the unnerving experience on the skywalk proceeded to complete his first-year law admission on Thursday, had tweeted to the police on September 15 about the dark skywalk being an invitation to trouble.

"They retweeted claiming that they have informed the BMC control room," he said. "Nothing was done after that."

Nearly 24 hours after the attack, the skywalk remained in darkness on Thursday too.

Even the police recorded only a non-cognizable complaint despite the seriousness of the offence and the blood seen on his face, said Sawant.

Sawant, who said people at the spot did not respond to his screams, lives in the IIT quarters allotted to his father, an administrative department employee. He said his friends on the IIT campus rushed to help on hearing his cries.

He said he learnt at the police station that an elderly man and another person were also robbed on the Powai Vihar skywalk nearby.