One more held for attack on revenue officer, Virar man

Vasai: A day after a revenue officer and a Virar man were dragged out of their car and assaulted in Virar, police on Wednesday arrested the second accused, Pratap Patil, from Dahanu. The 52-year-old Virar resident and political activist, Atmaram Patil, died on the spot, while the injured revenue officer, Prabhakar Patil, survived after escaping. Atmaram had taken the revenue officer to the site of the alleged illegal quarrying in Gadgapada, Shirgaon, Virar East. Of the five people named in the FIR, the main accused, Bhalchandra Patil, was arrested on Tuesday. In his complaint, the injured revenue officer Prabhakar Patil said their vehicle was intercepted by three accused, who allegedly called 10 to 12 others to the spot. The group smashed the car windows, dragged both men out, and assaulted them, he said.Amit Chaudhary, national president of the Loktantrik Lok Rajyam Party, a local political and social outfit, had filed multiple complaints against the main accused, Bhalchandra Patil, and his sons, Mahesh and Pratap, alleging illegal construction using forged documents and illegal stone mining at a quarry in Gadgapada. The matter was escalated on the central govt complaints portal, and Prabhakar Patil visited the site on Tuesday afternoon. After Patil informed Chaudhary that no illegal activity was visible at the scene, Chaudhary sent Atmaram Patil, the party's Virar city head, to guide him.Prabhakar Patil stated that he was assaulted first and dragged out after a car window was smashed, alleging Pratap Patil hit him on the head and ear with an iron rod, causing heavy bleeding. He said he fled when the attackers shifted focus to Atmaram, while their driver also managed to get away after being assaulted. Prabhakar Patil further alleged that Mahesh Patil smashed the window, dragged Atmaram out, and struck him with a wooden log, after which Mahesh allegedly shouted that Atmaram should not be spared. Patil claimed the group then took Atmaram to the quarry and killed him by smashing his head with stones.Chaudhary and Atmaram had been raising complaints about alleged illegal bungalows on govt land and illegal mining, which police say led to enmity. The Patil family—Bhalchandra, Mahesh and Pratap—already have multiple cases registered against them at Virar police station for assault, wrongful restraint and rioting. Deepak Gaikwad, Vasai tehsildar, said that following the attack on a govt official, authorities will audit stone-mining permissions issued in Vasai taluka to ensure compliance and take legal action against defaulters.