A dispute over using water to wash a vehicle during shortage-related restrictions turned violent at a housing society in Charholi, Pune, on Tuesday morning, leaving seven people injured and prompting Alandi police to register cross-complaints.
The incident took place around 10.30am on the society premises, where a 46-year-old autorickshaw driver was washing his vehicle. Sub-inspector Ajit Kakade of Alandi police said society members alleged that the driver had connected a pipe to a common borewell for the washing.
According to the police, the housing society had introduced strict water-saving measures because of a shortage. A message had also been posted in the society’s mobile messaging group asking residents not to use water pipes to wash vehicles. One society member objected to the pipe being used and requested the driver to use a bucket instead.
The society member’s complaint alleges that the autorickshaw driver and his family members abused him after he raised the objection. The complaint further alleges that they assaulted him and two other residents with a bucket.
The autorickshaw driver lodged a separate complaint, giving a different account of the confrontation. He claimed that he was washing the vehicle with a bucket when five society members abused him, his wife and two sons. He also alleged that the members assaulted him and his family with a bucket.
Police said the driver’s wife and son were later prevented from leaving the society premises while they were on their way to the police station. “When the autorickshaw driver’s wife and son were on their way to the police station, the society members locked the society’s main gate and did not allow them to leave,” Kakade said.
The two complaints have been registered under Sections 118, 189, 190 and 191 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The provisions cited by police include voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means and offences related to rioting.
The case brings a water-management dispute inside a residential complex into the formal criminal justice system. In the society, the immediate disagreement centred on whether a common borewell could be used for washing a vehicle and whether residents were following measures introduced during the shortage. The competing complaints now leave the police to establish how the confrontation began and how the injuries were caused.
Police said seven people were injured in the clash. Alandi police have registered separate cases based on the complaints and are investigating the incident. “Our investigations are on,” Kakade said.
