Thane petrol pump worker brutally assaulted over delay in refueling

Sandip Singh

A 40-year-old man, a resident of Thane's Wagle Estate and an employee at a petrol pump, was allegedly brutally assaulted by three men over a petty scuffle. The victim, Sandip Singh, was punched and kicked, resulting in a dislocated shoulder and three fractured ribs. The incident took place on March 11, said Pratigya Singh, 27, the victim's wife. "I kept going to the police station for seven days, but they kept delaying the registration of the FIR," she said. On March 18, the Wagle Estate Police finally registered the FIR after recording Singh's statement.

According to the FIR, on March 11, while Singh was on duty at the petrol pump on LBS Road at Teen Hath Naka in the afternoon, three individuals arrived on a scooty and waited in the queue. Singh was refuelling another vehicle when the trio asked him to hurry up. "The customer ahead of them had given me Rs 100, and he had filled petrol worth Rs 60. I didn't have change, which is why it was taking some time. The trio kept shouting at me to rush, and I told them to wait while I returned the remaining money. Instead, they attacked me, throwing punches. I fell to the ground, and they continued kicking me, especially on my upper body," Singh stated in his complaint.

Pratigya added that neither the other staff nor the petrol pump owner intervened to help her husband during the assault. "Eventually, we took him to the hospital, where doctors confirmed that his shoulder was dislocated. It was fixed through surgery. I then took him to a private facility for further scans, which revealed three rib fractures - two on the right and one on the left," she said.

As of now, doctors have advised Singh to take complete rest for more than six months. Being the family's sole breadwinner, his wife is deeply worried about their future, as the cost of treatment and medication has severely impacted their financial condition. "We have a four-year-old daughter whom we were planning to enrol in kindergarten this year. He worked at the petrol pump loyally for the past 10 years, and this incident has shown how much they (the owner and staff) value loyalty. Not a single person has helped us," said Pratigya.

In the FIR, the police have not mentioned the names of the accused; instead, it only states, "Three friends of Sonu Pal." The three unidentified individuals have been booked under sections related to criminal intimidation, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, and common intention of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.