60-year-old stabs teen for stopping him from jumping theatre queue

A fight u00a0over breaking a line to get movie tickets at Bharatmata theatre in Parel lead to the death of a 19-year-old yesterday afternoon. According to the police, Ajay Madhukar Khamkar (19), a resident of Hareshwar building, opposite N M Joshi police station, had gone to Bharatmata Cinema with his cousin Tushar Khamkar (23) to watch the 3 pm show of Marathi film Balak Palak.

Crime scene: The site where Ajay Khamkar was stabbed by coconut vendor Ashok Chavan following a fight over breaking the line at Bharatmata theatre in Parel yesterday. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

"When the two cousins were standing in a queue for buying movie tickets, Ashok Waman Chavan (60) a resident of Bhatwadi, Ghatkopar (East) tried to break the line. As expected, those already in line protested this behaviour," said Vikram Patil, senior police inspector of Bhoiwada police station.

Ajay and Tushar stopped Chavan and an argument broke out between the trio. In a fit of rage, Chavan left and returned with a knife from a nearby coconut vendor. "Before anyone could understand what was happening, Chavan stabbed Ajay on the left side of the stomach. Tushar rushed Ajay to KEM hospital in Parel where the doctors declared Ajay dead on arrival as the injury had punctured his heart," said Patil.

Ajay Khamkar

Meanwhile, the public surrounded Chavan at the Bharatmata Cinema and started beating him up. He managed to flee but two traffic constables, who were standing at Bharatmata Junction, realised something was amiss and gave him chase.

"I had my colleague Lahu Sabale chase Chavan for around 50 metres. We managed to catch him when he entered a lane towards the ITC Hotel. He had the knife with him and we confiscated it," said Navnath Ghuge, traffic police constable attached with the Hindmata division of Mumbai Traffic police. Later, Chavan was handed over to the Bhoiwada police station and was booked for murder under section 302 of the IPC.

According to the police, Ajay was from Wai, Satara. He was staying with his cousins at a room at N M Joshi Marg and worked as a back office executive in IDBI Bank Intech, Fort. He is survived by a younger brother and father, who is a farmer in Wai.

Chavan sells coconuts in Lalbaug and has a wife and two sons. According to sources, his wife left him because of his behaviour. Chavan stays with his elder brother and his wife in Ghatkopar (East).

Deepak Khamkar, Ajay's roommate and cousin, said, "We all had come home early from office and I was waiting for Ajay and Tushar to call me up to go to the theatre after they got the tickets. We were supposed to watch the 3 pm show but when it started getting late, I tried to call them up but their mobile phones were switched off.

Four of us stay together in the room and Ajay had joined us just six months ago," added Deepak, who was not aware of the mishap when MiD DAY spoke to him. Ajay's last rites will be performed in Wai, his family members said.u00a0