by Raqif Makhdoomi
When we hear about “Rain” the first thing that comes to our mind is the music that the rain produces. Many connect “Rain” with a romantic atmosphere. But have you ever heard about the Rain that isn’t romantic or doesn’t produce music which pleases your ears? A 21 years old Mayank lahor was stabbed to death over a fight for a door. He was stabbed to death by Roshan suvarna just for asking to close the door as it was raining heavily. The rain shall now no more be a sign of relief for Mayank’s family. It shall bring back the horror that their son left behind. Mayank, a young man who was living his youthful era, never knew that this was going to be his last train journey, and after this he shall never travel by any means. According to the reports, both Mayank (Deceased) and Roshan (murder accused) boarded at Andheri station. The incident took place First class compartment of a Churchgate-Nallasapora fast local.
The arguments started over whether Or not the door shall remain open, as it was raining heavily. Roshan, who was carrying a knife, felt humiliated, took out his knife and stabbed him to death. The video visuals that are viral on the internet are really shocking. Mayank was lying down in the pool of blood with no one approaching near him. Everyone was so shocked, seeing a young man getting killed in front of them, that they lost their senses. Anyone who sees the visuals can easily see how terrified everyone was. In the video Roshan could be seen flexing what he did with no guilt of killing Mayank. A simple argument over closing a door made Mayank lose his life. Mayank didn’t ask Roshan to do something which could have cast a shadow on his image. But instead of accepting the request, he chose to stab Mayank to death. Investigators said that when the train was travelling between Goregaon and Malad, Suvarna pulled out a knife and stabbed Lohar multiple times in the chest and abdomen. Lohar collapsed, while the accused allegedly got off the train near Borivali and fled.
Police suspect Suvarna felt humiliated after being manhandled and blamed Lohar for it. He was tracked down and arrested within hours from the Panvel/Kurla area while allegedly attempting to leave Mumbai. Authorities have registered a murder case and are continuing their investigation.
Investigators relied on CCTV footage and passenger accounts to reconstruct the sequence of events. Reports say police reviewed footage from hundreds of cameras to trace the accused’s movements after the crime. A video circulating online allegedly shows the accused leaving the train while carrying a knife. The victim’s family has demanded strict punishment for the accused. Speaking to the media, Lohar’s father said the brutality of the attack had devastated the family and called for the harshest possible punishment. The incident has once again raised concerns about passenger safety on Mumbai’s lifeline, the local train network.
Prior to the present case, a college teacher was stabbed in January, and a commuter standing near the door of a local was kicked by a cotraveller after an argument, causing him to fall on the tracks between Borivli and Kandivli stations in Nov 2023. The Tuesday incident led to demands for mandatory metal detectors and baggage screening at all railway stations, similar to the system in place for Metro stations. Roshan was drunk when he stabbed Mayank to death. The question here isn’t that he was drunk, but that is the thing that we must think about. He was carrying a weapon with him. Does it mean that anyone can carry a knife and use it whenever the person wants? Roshan continued to travel in the same train till he reached his place. This incident must lead to proper and strict security arrangements at every railway station. We have seen many videos on the internet from delhi Metro where people could be seen fighting. But those fights never turned into murder. But the Mumbai incident has sent shock waves.
Roshan Ramesh Suvarna’s family has claimed that he was under the influence of alcohol during the incident. According to his brother, Roshan returned home in tears, confessed what had happened, and later left for Panvel. The family said Roshan, an HSC dropout from Mira Road East, lived with his parents and sister, worked as a freelance barcode operator, and was unmarried. His father runs a Xerox shop. They also claimed that due to heavy rain, Roshan couldn’t book a cab and, instead of his usual AC local train, boarded a first-class fast local. Police are continuing their investigation, and the family’s claims have not been independently verified. Roshan’s guilt shall never bring back Manyank. Manyank’s family needs justice, not any apology from Roshan or his family.
Since I have watched the video, I am unable to take those visuals from my mind. I am unable to forget how that guy was waving that knife after he killed Manyank. He could have stopped, but he stabbed Manyank multiple times, which shocked Manyank dead in the pool of blood. What happened with Manyank shouldn’t have happened, and this shouldn’t happen with anyone. There need to be strict laws in force to prevent such heartbreaking incidents from taking place in the future. I hope Manyank’s family finds enough courage to deal with the irreplaceable loss, and I hope no family has to deal with what Manyank’s family is dealing with.
Author is a law student. He can be mailed at raqifmakhdoomi818@gmail.com
