Auto-rickshaw driver sets traffic policeman on fire in Thane

MUMBAI - An auto-rickshaw driver set ablaze a traffic police constable, three days after he was fined for traffic violations in Mumbai’s Thane District.

Mahendra Kewat threw petrol on Traffic Constable Anil Aitodekar and then set him on fire, as he was standing by a bus stop in the wee hours of Wednesday.

“The auto driver had a Bisleri bottle in his hand and he threw petrol directly on the constable. I tried to catch the auto driver by his vest but he kicked me and ran away,” said Gajanand Patil, an eyewitness.

Patil and other onlookers caught Kewat when he tried to flee the spot and brought him to the police.

“He (Anil Aitodekar) was standing near the bus stop to carry on his traffic duties. He had registered a case against Mahendra Kewat under the Motor Vehicles Act. Kewat was angry because of the case and he burnt the constable by pouring petrol on him,” said C. Jadav, a senior police inspector in Mumbai.

Aitodekar, who sustained 35 percent burns, is undergoing treatment at a local hospital. By Sushil Pareekh (ANI)