IT News
Mumbai, Feb 9
The Mumbai police has registered the FIRs against nearly 300 anti-CAA protestors, who are on a “sit-in-dharna” at Morland Road, Nagpada in South Mumbai, on charges of obstructing the road and blocking the traffic.
The protesters have been booked under Section 431 (mischief by injury to public road, bridge, river or channel) of the IPC and Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act, 1888. But no one has been arrested so far.
The protestors, mainly Muslim women, who began a sit in dharna from the night of Republic day,against CAA/NRC/NPR at Muslim dominated Nagpada area, have continued the agitation despite assurance from Maharashtra Government that CAA will not be implemented in a post-haste in the state.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Central Region) Veeresh Prabhu said the FIR has been registered against unknown people based on a complaint of a BMC official against the ongoing protest, who said that they were carrying out repair work on Morland Street(popularly referred to as ‘Mumbai Bagh’ on the lines of Delhi’s Shaheen Baug protest), but with women agitating on the same lane, their work could not be completed.
The women have continued their agitation despite repeated appeals by police. They have also not taken required permission for the agitation. The protesters said that they would continue the sit-in, till CAA was repealed. “Even though the Maharashtra CM has assured us that he will not implement NRC, this is not the question of one state. We support the women of Shaheen Bagh in Delhi. We will continue to sit in solidarity,” one of the protestors Ruhi Ansari said.
In the meanwhile a huge morcha was organised from Hindu Gymkhana at Marine Drive Drive to Azad Maidan in South Mumbai, by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) calling to evict illegal immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh, from the country on Sunday afternoon.
MNS Chief Raj Thackeray was to address the rally at Azad Maidan later. His son Amit, wife Sharmila, daughter Urvashi and daughter-in- law Mitali have joined the morcha. Thousands of MNS activists are participating in the ‘Mahamorcha’. The MNS activists from Thane, Pune, Nashik and Aurangabad were on their way to Mumbai to participate in the morcha.
As a precaution, a large number of police were deployed. “Apart from local police, personnel of the State Reserve Police Force (DRPF), Riot Control Police, Quick Response Teams (QRTs), Bomb Detection and Disposal Squads (BDDS), and additional 600 policemen have been deployed on the morcha route,” the Mumbai Police spokesperson said. He also said that police personnel in civvies will mingle with the crowd to keep an eye on anti-social elements.
