Mumbai builder faces outrage over casteist abuse, but his toughened glass door is winning internet

On Sunday (Feb 8), a video of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) workers vandalising builder Sushil Raheja’s office in Mumbai’s Chembur was circulating online. The video went viral as the builder allegedly assaulted an employee working with his firm over a trivial matter, reported news outlet Prabuddh Bharat, but what caught netizens' attention was the sturdy glass door, which withstood multiple blows by a woman trying to smash it with what looked like a hockey stick. The sports equipment was used at the wrong place for sure; it did not do as much damage. Now, the curiosity is about the marker on the glass. No crack, no damage; with the intensity of the blow, anybody would have expected it to come crashing down.

Who manufactured the glass door?

The visual distracted the people from the vandalism, and the discussion drifted from there to the quality of the glass. People are enquiring which company has made this glass. Social media users are speculating that Saint-Gobain could have manufactured the toughened glass, but no official confirmation has been provided by Raheja's office on this as yet.

WATCH VIDEO HERE:

mumbai-builder-vandalism-unbreakable-glass-door-sushil-raheja

About the incident

The matter of assault has been reported to the police. The case has been registered at Mumbai’s Govandi Police Station under the Atrocities Act. The builder allegedly hurled abuses and made casteist slurs at Rahul Jadhav, a follower of Buddhism. The youth was allegedly beaten up in front of the entire office.

Upon learning about the incident, VBA workers rushed to Raheja’s office, but he had fled the spot by then. An issue with documents not being stapled properly went on to Raheja, saying, “Tum Ghati, Jai Bhim wale log kabhi sudhrega nahi”, which translates to ‘You Ghat dwellers and ‘Jai Bhim’ followers will never improve. ‘Jai Bhim’ is a strong slogan in praise of Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, the man who became the voice of the oppressed and marginalised in India during the freedom struggle and after.