Dadar Resident Assaulted at Home Over Roadside Fish Vending Dispute
A 35-year-old resident of Dadar was allegedly threatened and physically assaulted at his home in the Swarajya Co-operative Housing Society on Senapati Bapat Marg in the early hours of July 12. The attack on Raj Ramchandra Pawar, a private company employee, followed a long-running dispute over roadside fish vending outside the residential building.
Residents of the housing society had collectively approached authorities and pursued legal action against the roadside fish market, alleging that the vendors caused traffic congestion, unhygienic conditions, public inconvenience, and safety risks. The dispute had recently culminated in a Bombay High Court order directing licensed vendors to stop operating outside the society and move to a temporary location.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), the conflict turned violent when Pawar received a phone call at around 12:15 AM on July 12. The caller questioned him about the complaint filed against the vendors. After Pawar explained that the society had filed the complaint collectively, the caller allegedly abused him, threatened to kill him, and demanded that he come downstairs.
Shortly after the call, three individuals—identified as Kalpesh Parulekar, Vinayak Kalelkar, and Shubham Gupta—allegedly banged on Pawar's door. The men forced their way inside the residence and assaulted Pawar with fists and kicks. Pawar and his wife raised an alarm, prompting neighbors to emerge from their homes, which caused the three men to flee. Pawar then contacted the police emergency helpline.
After police officers arrived at the housing society, Pawar came downstairs. At this point, a fourth individual, Franky Sebastian Saldanha, allegedly rushed towards Pawar, abused him, and issued death threats in the presence of the officers.
Police officers detained Saldanha and Kalelkar at the scene and later recorded Pawar's complaint. The Dadar police have registered a criminal case against Parulekar, Kalelkar, Gupta, and Saldanha under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation into the assault is currently underway.
