A simple request to move aside led to a fight between two families in Dombivli, Maharashtra. The fight reportedly began because a woman said "excuse me" in English, and the other family got angry about it. Later, a video of the incident went viral, and now the police are looking into the case again.

What happened?

The incident happened on Monday at the Ganesh Shraddha building in old Dombivli. Poonam Gupta had returned home with her nine-month-old baby and her friend, Jyoti Chavan. They found that the entrance to their house was blocked because the Dhoble family, who are their neighbours, were holding a function.

When Gupta said “excuse me” in English to get through, the Dhoble family allegedly became angry and told her she should speak in Marathi instead. Things quickly got worse. According to the police, the Dhoble family members began arguing and then allegedly assaulted Jyoti first.

Gupta said she was attacked next, even though she was holding her infant. Later, her husband Ankit came to help, but he was also reportedly beaten with a stick.

Police action after CCTV goes viral

Both families went to Vishnu Nagar police station and filed complaints against each other. Police at first treated it as a minor issue and registered a non-cognisable complaint, which means no immediate arrest is made. A police officer said, “The complainant’s side also responded physically, reportedly in self-defence.”

However, after CCTV footage of the attack spread on social media, clearly showing the Dhoble family hitting Gupta and her family, the police are now taking the case more seriously.

“We have called complainant Poonam Gupta to record a fresh statement,” said Senior Inspector Sanjay Pawar. “If she wishes to file an FIR, appropriate action will follow based on her statement.”

Gupta, who works as an accountant, said the family is now living in fear. “Even after this attack, the police didn’t take it seriously until the video went viral,” she told TOI.

 

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