Four booked for assaulting cops and BMC officials in Mankhurd

Cops beat up a man for allegedly keeping his shop open in Kurla's Kasaiwada, which has been declared Red Zone for COVID-19

The Mankhurd police on Friday booked four vegetable vendors, including two women, for assaulting policemen and BMC officials when they tried to seize their handcarts, which have been banned during the lockdown.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said a large crowd had gathered at Lallubhai compound when the vendors came with their handcarts and they were facing difficulty in enforcing social distancing so they called the cops. They seized several handcarts but one family protested and attacked the police officers and the civic officials.

Ilegal hawkers defy the order

"We are not allowing illegal hawkers in the area in order to control crowding, but several continue to. The civic officials came today and asked for protection to seize illegal handcarts and during the process, a female vendor pulled a lady constable by her hair, while her family members attacked the officials of the BMC," a police officer told mid-day.

Senior Inspector of Mankhurd police station told mid-day, "We have registered a case against them and arrested the family under several sections of the IPC and Epidemic Diseases Act."

The accused have been identified as Yasmeen Sheikh, 40, Navazuddin, 32, Safiya B, 60, and Akbar Sheikh who has been absconding since the incident happened.

According to police, crowding is being reported in the area every day; people are not cooperating and they come out on the streets claiming to buy essentials.

Cops thrash shop owner

Another incident of alleged assault on the policemen was reported from Kasaiwada, Kurla.

According to the police, a shop owner abused and manhandled the officers when they questioned him for opening his shop, and the cops had to retaliate. However, the owner's family alleged that the shutter of their shop was half down as they had just received the stock.

The incident occurred around 6 pm on Thursday. According to police, the Kasaiwada area of Kurla, which falls under Chunabhatti police station's jurisdiction, has been declared a Red Zone in connection with the novel Coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).

A team of police officers was making announcements in the area when they found the shutters of Kohinoor Oil and Soap Depot up. "The police officers told the owner to maintain social distancing while selling his items," said Vinay Bagade, assistant commissioner of police (Nehru Nagar Division).

"When the police officers were instructing him, Hafiz started talking rudely. When warned, he started abusing them too. He also tried to manhandle some police officers, who retaliated," Bagade said.

But, Hafiz's elder brother Abdul Hasan told mid-day, "Our shop is over 40 years old. All the cops here know us. On Thursday, after receiving supply from the vendor, my brother was sitting inside and had dragged the shutter down to half. Some residents saw our shop half open and came to us. The officers saw this while patrolling and got furious and beat my brother black and blue."

The Chunhabhtti police have booked Hafiz but haven't arrested him yet. Hafiz's family said they would register a complaint against the officers for assaulting him.

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