A Mumbai-based journalist, Rishabh Chakravorty, 35, was produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Vikroli on Sunday in an attempt to murder case for assaulting a cab driver on August 18. The court has sent him to seven days of police custody.
The accused journalist , who was last associated with Moneycontrol, was arrested on August 31, two weeks after the incident. The FIR was filed against him on August 28, after a 24-year-old cab driver Kamyuddin Qureshi from Govandi, alleged that the Mr. Chakravorty and his wife Antara Ghosh, 27, had physically and verbally assaulted him.
Severe head injury
The reason for the delay in the arrest and investigation was because Mr. Qureshi was hospitalised due to severe head injuries after the attack and was unable to speak, senior police officer Santosh Ghatekar from Parksite police station told The Hindu.
The incident came to light after a CCTV footage started circulating on social media on August 30. In it, a man and woman were seen coming out of their luxury car (Audi) and manhandling the cab driver, who had dashed into the luxury car from behind.
“We have registered Section 109, attempt to murder case under the Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita. The incident happened on August 18 at 11.30 p.m. when Mr. Qureshi was going from Saki Naka to Navi Mumbai with a customer. Near Asalpha area in Ghatkopar, Mr. Chakravorty’s car dashed into Mr. Qureshi’s car. That is how the argument broke out,” Mr. Ghatekar explained.
“The cab driver asked Mr. Chakravorty for damage compensation. But Mr. Chakravorty started manhandling him while his wife took the Ola navigation device from the cab and they drove away in their luxury car. Mr. Qureshi followed the car and when it stopped near a housing society in Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg in Ghatkoper, the cab driver dashed [into] the luxury car from behind. The entire incident is captured in the CCTV footage of the housing society,” he added.
At this moment, the couple began thrashing and kicking him, leaving Mr. Qureshi with severe head and body injuries. So much so he could not even get up, the officer said.
In his police statement, Mr. Qureshi said a security guard from the housing complex took him to Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar before he was referred to JJ Hospital, where he was admitted with severe head injuries and was unconscious.
“Once he regained consciousness, we registered the FIR. and issued notice to the couple to appear before the investigating officer. “We have issued a notice to his wife, who will also be booked for verbal and physical abuse as the cab driver has accused her of slapping him multiple times. We are still verifying her crime. We will prepare a report within these seven days of investigation and produce him to court again,” Mr. Ghatekar said.
Following his arrest, Moneycontrol issued a statement on X [formerly Twitter], “We are shocked by the violent actions of this individual, who has been identified as a former employee of Moneycontrol. Mr Rishabh Chakravorty resigned from Moneycontrol and has not been associated with us since June this year.”
