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A First Information Report was filed at the Andheri police station by John against five unidentified assailants, said a police official.
A former serviceman, John is a member of non-governmental organisation Action for Good Governance and Networking (AGNI) from the K-East Ward. He is among the most active civic activists in Mumbai.
Ashok Pai, another AGNI member, said John was taking photographs with his personal camera around 6 pm on Wednesday at JB Nagar. “The workers were forcibly shutting shops. He was just taking photographs without provoking them,’’ Pai said, adding that John was unable to speak.
But minutes later, they started chasing him, according to Pai. “He fell down while running and those people caught him and started hitting him with their legs,’’ he said. With the help of the local police, John was admitted to Sanjeevani Hospital and later shifted to the BSES Hospital in Andheri. “He was in the ICU but has now been shifted to the general ward,’’ said Pai.
Anant Shende, Maharashtra coordinator of NGO Lok Satta, condemned the incident. “People are made pawns and spectators in votebank politics. There is no place for violence in a democratic society,’’ he said.
