At Byculla, falling stones baffle residents, police

Residents of Kanchwala compound near Madanpura in Byculla show the stones that mysterioulsy fall between midnight and 5 am daily

By Mateen Hafeez TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Mumbai: It’s a stone-throwing incident that has stumped the police. Every night between 12 midnight and 5 am, huge stones fall from all directions into the Kanchwala compound near Madanpura in Byculla (west). Five people have been injured due to the stones in the last 10 days.

The residents of the compound say that they have been witnessing the stone falling since the past few months but the intensity has increased in the past 10 days. The stones, ranging from 500 gm to 5 kg, often fall on the roofs of the homes of the residents. The compound is flanked by St Agnes School on the east and by the Bombay Soap Mill on the north. The mill was closed down a few years ago.

“It’s been happening for the last few months but we have not been able to sleep for the last 10-15 days,’’ said Mubeen Qureishi, a resident. “Who knows when a stone will fall on his head? One of our neighbours was sitting in his house and all of a sudden a stone came crashing down through his roof. No one was injured but it is a serious case.’’

The Nagpada police, who arrived at the spot on Wednesday morning at around 1 am, also witnessed the stones falling. Police subinspector Arun Katkar, along with two other policemen, was in the compound for nearly an hour and also went to the school at 2 am but did not find any evidence of the place being used by miscreants to hurl stones. Questioning the watchman of the school also yielded no clues. “We are looking into the matter,’’ said Katkar adding that the police were yet to decide whether a case should be registered or not.

The residents, most of whom are from the lower middle class strata and zari workers, believe that some ‘unknown spirit’ is behind it. They have installed four huge lights to find out where exactly the stones are coming from and who is behind it, but are yet to make any headway.

Mohammed Hussain, who sustained a leg injury, said he was standing outside his house when a stone hit him. “One Farooq Shaikh has sustained severe injuries and left this place.’’ While there are different versions floating around, a few people also said that a group of builders wanted the 200 residents to vacate the land so that they could construct a road for a new residential tower that will be coming up in the next few years. “We are not scared and will not leave this place, ‘’ some residents said.

The Times of India, May 26, 2005