3 held for assaulting man on train in Nashik for carrying 'beef' were police aspirants

NASHIK: The Govt Railway Police (GRP) have arrested three Dhule-based men for allegedly assaulting a 72-year-old man belonging to a minority community onboard a Mumbai-bound train in Igatpuri. The police said all three men had appeared for the police recruitment programme in Mumbai on Aug 29.
Archana Dusane, a senior inspector of GRP, Thane, said the men were detained from Dhule on Saturday on the charges of assaulting an elderly train passenger on Aug 28.They were brought to GRP, Thane, and were arrested following the initial inquiry.
"The three men were travelling from Dhule to Mumbai, onboard the Dhule-CSMT train, to attend the practical examination (ground test) scheduled on Aug 29. After they appeared for the test, they returned to Dhule," the officer said.
There was initially a dispute over seating arrangements in the general compartment, and after the train crossed Igatpuri, the accused men noticed that the man was carrying raw meat with him. According to senior police officers, the accused claimed that it was beef.
The victim refuted the claim and said he was carrying buffalo meat. The elderly man said that he threw the meat out of the train after the accused men objected to it. However, he was still beaten up.
Dusane added that after the video of the men verbally and physically assaulting the elderly passenger went viral, police teams tracked down to victim to Kalyan, where he was staying with his daughter. Police recorded the victim’s complaint.
“Police assessed the social media video, scanned the CCTV footage from Dhule railway station, and also took the help of the local crime branch in Dhule to locate the three men. They have been remanded in police custody. They will be interrogated, and the whereabouts of other people involved in the assault will be ascertained. We believe there are four more people involved,” police said.

Meanwhile, on his X handle, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar wrote on Sunday: “Today, I have interacted with the railway police officers and have ordered strict action against the culprits after a thorough investigation. We are committed to maintaining law and order in the state, and such anti-social elements will not get any reprieve from our Mahayuti govt.”