MUMBAI: City BJP spokesperson Yogesh Verma and his supporters assaulted a grieving family on the Western Express Highway on Wednesday evening when the family objected to Verma’s SUV forcefully overtaking their car, driving them against the highway’s side railing. When the family went to a nearby hospital to obtain a medical report so that they could file a police complaint against the BJP workers, the latter beat them up there as well.

The police have arrested Verma’s driver Sanjay Singh, his friend Amit Agrawal and three associates. They have also arrested Vrushank Shah (23), who was driving his family’s car; he was remanded in police custody, but sent back to hospital for treatment. Verma, who is in hospital, has been booked and will be arrested after his discharge.

Malad residents Dr Bharat and Bina Shah, along with their children Kanchi (27) and Vrushank, were driving towards Vile Parle to attend a ceremony for Bina’s recently deceased mother. “At Jogeshwari flyover , after Verma’s Scorpio overtook the Maruti, his driver Singh abused the Shahs, to which the family reacted,” said additional commissioner of police (west region) Milind Bharambe.

The police said both vehicles crossed the flyover and stopped; Vrushank and Verma’s driver got out of the vehicles and started arguing; Singh slapped Vrushank, and was joined in by Verma and his friend Agrawal; Kanchi started to record the matter on her cellphone, when one of the BJP men hit her on the hand and tore a piece off from her dress; they also misbehaved with her mother; Kanchi scratched Verma’s face with her nails.

The police took the Shahs to the Jogeshwari police station to record their complaint. Verma went to the nearby BMC-run Bal Thackeray Trauma Care Hospital and got himself admitted. His associates called two dozen BJP workers to the hospital.

After recording what the Shahs had to say to register a case of molestation and assault, the police sent them to the trauma hospital for medical examination, along with two constables, including a woman. When the Shahs reached the hospital, the BJP workers attacked them. One of them threw a stone, which hit Vrushank on the forehead. The BJP workers also assaulted the constables when they tried to intervene. The police had to call for reinforcements to control the situation. One BJP worker also slapped an officer.