MUMBAI: The Government Railway Police (GRP) has arrested a man for allegedly throwing a stone at a local train following a seat-related dispute, leaving a commuter permanently blind in one eye.
The accused, Yogendra Bauddha, a labourer, was taken into custody on Thursday, two days after the incident near Bandra.
The victim, Nishant Khatri (28), an assistant manager in accounts and finance, had recently got engaged. On February 3, he boarded a Churchgate-bound local train from Andheri after work to return home.
According to police, two commuters were arguing over seats inside the compartment. When the train reached Bandra, Bauddha allegedly jumped onto the tracks and picked up stones.
“I was sitting on the third seat. The first stone hit the train from behind. There was a loud noise, but no one was injured,” Khatri said.
As panic spread in the compartment, Khatri turned to see what had happened. “Then a second stone, about the size of my palm, came in and struck my left eye. It was badly bloodied,” he recalled.
Despite his severe injury, Khatri said no co-passenger came forward to help or pulled the emergency chain. He managed to get off the moving train on his own and sought assistance from a home guard, who escorted him along the platform to the station manager’s office.
Khatri alleged that he was made to wait nearly 45 minutes for formalities before being taken for treatment. However, officials of Western Railway denied the claim, stating that he was shifted to Bhabha Hospital within 15 minutes of the matter being reported.
“At Bhabha Hospital, no doctors were available. A ward boy cleaned my wound and gave me a tetanus shot,” Khatri said. He was later shifted by his relatives to Hinduja Hospital, where he underwent surgery.
Meanwhile, Bandra GRP registered an FIR and launched a search operation. A special team led by Sunita Salunke, Kishore Shinde, and Shahaji Nikam analysed CCTV footage from multiple stations along the Western line.
After receiving a tip-off that the suspect would arrive at Dadar, police laid a trap and arrested him.
Investigators said Bauddha hails from Uttar Pradesh and had moved to Mumbai eight months ago. He lives in Vasai and works at a plastics company. Police added that he frequently travelled between Vasai and Churchgate for leisure.
Khatri’s family said he is the sole breadwinner and that the injury has severely affected his future. “My eyeball was badly damaged. Doctors have told me I will never regain vision in my left eye. For no fault of mine, my life has been shattered,” he said.
Police have charged the accused under relevant sections and further investigation is underway.
