70-year-old assaulted over spitting row: Victim to undergo surgery for fractured leg; RTO may cancel accused cabbie’s licence

Thane: The investigation into the assault on 70-year-old Sarosh Dastur, who had objected to an app-based cab driver spitting on a public road in Thane, has gathered pace with transport authorities considering action against the accused, Nishant Shukla.

“We are examining the legal findings and may initiate proceedings to suspend or cancel the accused’s transport permit and driving licence, subject to the outcome of the investigation,” said Thane RTO head Hemangini Patil.

Meanwhile, Dastur is set to undergo surgery on his fractured leg sustained during the attack. The procedure is expected to be carried out at Jupiter Hospital, said a senior official.

Vartak Nagar police have arrested Shukla for allegedly verbally abusing and assaulting Dastur when he objected to him spitting on the road near Jupiter Hospital on Tuesday evening. The accused even picked up a stone to strike the elderly man on the head, police claimed. A video of the assault went viral on social media.

On Thursday evening, Shukla was brought back to the footpath outside Jupiter Hospital for a scene-of-offence panchnama and reconstruction of events under heavy police security. Investigators sought to establish the precise sequence — where each person stood, how the assault unfolded, where the stone was sourced, and who intervened. A forensic science team accompanied Vartak Nagar police to the spot and recorded statements of eyewitnesses, including street food vendors and political workers who had intervened during the assault. Shukla was produced before Thane court and remanded to two-day police custody.

A senior police officer said Dastur was initially reluctant to file a complaint. Still reeling from the trauma of the brutal attack, the elderly man was in severe mental distress and simply wanted peace, requesting privacy. It was only after a Shiv Sena office-bearer stepped forward and filed the complaint that the attempt to murder charge was registered and Shukla was immediately arrested.

The case has drawn widespread political attention. Lok Sabha MP Shrikant Shinde and MNS chief Raj Thackeray both reached out to Dastur over phone, enquiring about his health and urging him to take care. Dastur’s wife told Thackeray that the family’s priority now is his swift recovery. Thane Mayor paid a personal visit to the victim, conveying the civic body’s solidarity with the family.

Residents of Dastur’s housing society described him as an extremely sociable man who would immediately alert residents about litter or garbage in the premises and always enquired warmly about others’ wellbeing.

Members of Thane’s Parsi community have been attempting to reach out to him. His wife conveyed to a community member that his recovery remains the foremost priority. “He is new to the city and not many are aware of his background,” said a community member — a sentiment echoed by police as well.