Mumbai city collector pegs 2012 Azad Maidan riot damages at Rs 36 lakh

MUMBAI: Two years after the Azad Maidan riot, the Mumbai city collector has quantified the damages caused to public property at Rs 36 lakh, which is to be paid to the police department, BEST, municipal corporation, and fire brigade. However, the collector’s inquiry did not take into consideration damages caused to property owned by media and citizens during the riot. An earlier inquiry had pegged the damages at Rs 2.74 crore.
On Wednesday, an affidavit by collector Shaila A was submitted to the Bombay high court in response to a PIL by journalists Sanket Satope and Uday Joshi seeking recover of damages to individuals and public and private property, and for prosecution of the organizers of the protest meet.
On August 11, 2012, many vehicles, including media vans, were torched, property vandalized and police personnel attacked when protestors agitating against the atrocities against Muslims in Assam and Myanmar at Azad Maidan turned violent.
In April, the HC had rapped the collector for not making an independent inquiry to assess the damages and quoting the Rs 2.74 crore amount from the police report. When the petitioners’ advocates had argued that the amount was lesser than the actual damages, the HC directed the collector to contact the victims, insurance firms and media houses, for their claims and assessment of damages before calling upon those responsible to pay up. The state government had assured the high court that a fresh inquiry will be conducted.
The affidavit submitted on Wednesday said the collector heard the four public entities in June and based on their evidence determined the compensation. In the affidavit, the collector said that proceedings have initiated against the 60 persons responsible for the damages and she had directed them on August 4 to pay up.