Mumbai, Nov 22: Visitors to Ulhasnagar building left the lift door open during a prolonged Indian-style farewell and got into fisticuffs later on with angry residents waiting downstairs, reports Mumbai Mirror.
The moral of the story: Lingering over a goodbye while you're holding back the elevator is not only impolite but could also prove dangerous in a city always on the verge of a rage attack. Residents of Ulhasnagar paid with an arm and a leg when an idiosyncratically long farewell led to a melee on Friday. Two of them landed in hospital.
Late on Thursday night, Ashok Bajaj, 36, who owns a cellphone store, visited his sister Bhavika Wadhwani's house in Kanchan Tower along with a few friends. They called the lift to the fourth floor when they were leaving. However, instead of getting in immediately, Bajaj continued a conversation with his sister and brother-in-law.
While they chatted, a group of doctors was waiting on the ground floor. By the time the elevator descended, this group had worked up quite a rage. “As soon as we stepped out, Dr Nandkishore Nagpal, who lives on the same floor as my sister, started shouting at us for keeping the lift on hold for so long,” said Bajaj.
The groups gradually moved from exchanging angry words to exchanging blows. The altercation turned into a fullblown fistfight that lasted ten minutes and left two people on either side severely injured. Bajaj was rushed to Central hospital with grave wounds to his head.
Dr Raj Dasani, a friend of Dr Nagpal's, was also hospitalised. Dr Nagpal, who is the secretary of the building, sustained minor injuries.
Both sides alleged their opponents were drunk. "The doctors were drunk and simply wanted to pick a fight with us. They beat us up mindlessly over such a small issue," said Prakash Bajaj, Ashok's brother. Dr Nagpal said, "The lift was not the cause of the brawl. They came down and started hurling abusive language at us. They were drunk and fight got out of hand."
Bajaj and his friends were the first to reach Central police station and lodge a complaint of rioting and assault against the three doctors, among others.
Late on Friday, the doctors also filed a case of rioting and assault against Bajaj and his friends. The groups gave conflicting information about the number of people involved in the fracas.
The police confirmed the fight took place over the elevator delay. "We are investigating the matter. For now we have registered a case against both sides," said sub inspector D H Badane. The victim, Ashok Bajaj, is now stable
