Mumbai Court Denies Bail to Trio Accused of Assaulting Elderly Man Over Beef Allegations

A Mumbai court has denied bail to three men accused of assaulting a 72-year-old Muslim man on a train, suspecting him of carrying beef. The Kalyan sessions court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Akash Avhad (30), Nitish Ahire (30), and Jayesh Mohite (21) after the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Thane added serious charges against them.

Originally granted bail by a magistrate court, the trio faced new charges under sections 302 and 311 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which pertain to deliberately hurting religious feelings and robbery with intent to cause grievous harm, respectively. This prompted the cancellation of their bail.

The court also denied bail to Suresh Jadhav, 19, the fourth accused arrested in connection with the case. Advocate Abid Abbas Sayyed, representing the victim Haji Ashraf Ali Sayyed, emphasized that police took the incident more seriously after videos of the assault went viral, drawing public attention. Sayyed noted that five suspects have been identified in total, with the fifth accused, Devendra Sonawane, awaiting a bail decision on October 9. He mentioned plans to petition the high court for a transfer of the investigation to the crime branch.

The assault occurred on August 28 while the elderly man was traveling on the Dhule-CSMT Express en route to his daughter's home in Kalyan. He was verbally abused and threatened by a mob who suspected him of carrying beef. Videos taken by fellow passengers captured the incident, showing the group kicking and slapping him while questioning him about two containers of meat he was carrying. They even threatened to take him to the police station.

The GRP eventually located the victim at his daughter’s residence in Bhiwandi and recorded his statement, leading to the registration of a case against the assailants. The court’s decision to deny bail reflects the seriousness of the charges and the nature of the crime.