A serious case of assault and alleged harassment of a Hindu couple has surfaced from Maharashtra’s Mira Road area after an Ola-Uber driver and his girlfriend accused a group of men led by Hilal Khan of attacking them following a dispute at a CNG filling station.

The incident, which took place on May 18 near the Mahanagar Gas Pump at Shivar Garden on Mira-Bhayander Road, has led to the registration of FIR No. 233/2026 at the Mira Road Police Station under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Maharashtra Police Act.

According to the FIR, the complainant, 29-year-old Ajay Rajendra Chaudhary, an Ola-Uber driver residing in Bhayandar East, alleged that he and his girlfriend Roma Jaibhagwan Kagda were violently attacked by multiple accused after a disagreement over queue discipline at the gas station escalated into physical assault.

Ajay stated in his complaint that he has been residing in Bhayandar for nearly 15 years with his parents and earns his livelihood by driving a Hyundai Aura car attached to Ola-Uber services. He further stated that he has been in a relationship with Roma Kagda for the last five years and that the two were planning to get married soon. Roma reportedly works at a salon in Mumbai’s Sakinaka area.

Details of the incident

Recounting the sequence of events, Ajay said that on the morning of May 18, he had gone to pick up Roma from her residential building at Shweta Heights in Mira Road East to drop her at work. On the way, the couple stopped at the Mahanagar CNG pump around 11:30 am to refill gas in their Hyundai Aura car.

According to the complaint, the fuel station had separate queues for cars and autorickshaws. Ajay alleged that while he was standing in the designated car queue, a green Swift car suddenly approached from the adjacent rickshaw line and attempted to forcibly move ahead of his vehicle. During the process, the Swift allegedly hit the left-side mirror of his car.

The FIR further states that when Roma lowered the window of the vehicle, the woman sitting inside the Swift allegedly abused her using derogatory and insulting language. In an attempt to avoid escalation, Ajay claimed that he allowed the Swift vehicle to move ahead in the queue.

However, within minutes, the confrontation allegedly turned violent. Ajay alleged that two men arrived at the spot on a Bergman motorcycle and joined the Swift car driver, later identified as Hilal Khan. The two men were subsequently identified as Faizan Khan and Mohammad Khan.

The complainant alleged that Hilal Khan, Faizan Khan, and Mohammad Khan forcibly dragged him out of his car and started punching and assaulting him. He further stated that another unidentified man aged around 30 to 35 years, wearing a white T-shirt and spectacles, also joined the attack and repeatedly hit him.

Police action

Based on the complaint, police booked Hilal Khan, Faizan Khan, Mohammad Khan, an unidentified woman who was inside the Swift car, and another unidentified male accused under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 74, 79, 115(2), 352, 189(1), 189(2), 190, and 191(2). Additional sections under the Maharashtra Police Act, including Sections 37(1), 37(3), and 135, were also invoked in the FIR.

Police officials are now investigating the incident and are expected to examine CCTV footage from the CNG station and surrounding areas to identify all those involved and verify the sequence of events described in the complaint.

The incident has triggered outrage locally, with residents and social media users demanding strict legal action against the accused and raising concerns over rising incidents of mob violence and public harassment in the Mira-Bhayander region.

Cover image courtesy: The Organizer