Mumbai: A hawker charged with the murder of an Andheri shopkeeper was given bail last week, five years after being arrested.
The Bombay High Court granted bail to Vishwas Bovane alias Pappu on September 13 in connection with the Shivkumar Sharma murder case. Sharma, an activist campaigning against illegal hawkers, was stabbed to death in broad daylight on October 9, 2019, allegedly by Bovane, a hawker.
Bombay HC Grants Bail To Hawker In 2019 Murder Of Activist Shivkumar Sharma; Shocking Crime Video Accessed #mumbai #MumbaiCrime pic.twitter.com/okbAwOfxxd
— Abhishek Yadav (@geopolimics) September 18, 2024
The High Court noted, “He has already undergone five years of incarceration. The charge sheet shows 31 witnesses to be examined by the prosecution. Not a single witness has been examined and there has been factually no progress in the trial, despite the request made by this Court in an order dated October 16, 2023, to expedite the trial. The applicant has no criminal antecedents and therefore, purely on the aforesaid ground, without any comments on the merits of the matter, this Court is inclined to allow the present application.”
Sharma, 59, owned a plywood store in the Mahakali caves area of Andheri East, while Bovane ran a food stall near Sharma’s shop. The conflict began when Sharma asked Bovane to move his food cart. An argument ensued, leading Sharma to file a complaint with the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) against Bovane for using a gas cylinder on the main road. Following Sharma’s complaint, the BMC took action against Bovane. In retaliation, Bovane allegedly threatened Sharma, saying he would kill him, which Sharma reported to the MIDC Police Station.
On October 9, 2019, between 1pm and 1.30pm, while Sharma was leaving for lunch, Bovane allegedly attacked him with a knife, stabbing him multiple times. Bovane was arrested by MIDC Police shortly after the incident. The victim was admitted to hospital and succumbed to his injuries after 13 days.
Shivkumar Sharma’s son, Manish Sharma, expressing his anguish, said that after Bovane got bail, witnesses are scared. “The state government must intervene. All evidence is available, including CCTV footage. We fear for our lives now,” he said.
Bovane was arrested on October 9, 2019, and after investigation the chargesheet was filed on January 6, 2020. Charges were framed on April 22, 2022, but no witnesses have been examined to date.
