MUMBAI, February 23: A professor of mathematics was beaten up in the busy streets of Bhandup by his acquaintance last week. Apparently the attacker, now cooling his heels in custody, was mentally unstable.Professor Devesh Shah runs a tuition institute Devesh Classes with branches in several suburbs. On February 17 at 8 pm, he was busy in a meeting with his staff at Sarvodaya Nagar. He was caught unawares when Harish Chandra Pathak barged in. Even as the students watched Pathak dragged the professor out of the room. After they reached the Jain road Pathak pulled out his belt and whipped Shah repeatedly.
Pathak did not speak when the professor, shrieking in pain, asked why he was being beaten up. While the onlookers did not come to the professor's rescue, his staff did not dare come near.
The Bhandup police arrested Pathak after he left Shah profusely bleeding from his injuries on his hands and back. Shah has filed a police complaint against Pathak who has been remanded to judicial custody.
Seniorpolice inspector of the Bhandup police station B S Rasam stated that Pathak had consumed drugs and he was mentally unstable. He revealed that vengeance was the motive of the attack.
In a similar incident in May last year, Pathak had beaten up Shah's friend K C Tiwari, professor of chemistry at Jhunjhunwala college in Ghatkopar (W). "Though I went to the police station but could not file a written complaint as I was afraid of Pathak who could have attacked my children and wife too.Pathak is known to me as he had come to my house several times. But he is a drug addict so I was always afraid of him," said Tiwari.
Later, when finally Tiwari approached the Ghatkopar police, he was accompanied by Devesh Shah. "Ever since I took Tiwari to the police station, Pathak has been threatening me," Shah said adding that he had known Pathak for the last 10 years as the latter visited his classes wanting to learn English.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
