‘Check on sealed buildings, help them out’: Mumbai top cop tells police to go easy on public

People roaming outside get punishment from police in Dharavi in April last year. File pic

Be kind, be patient," is Mumbai's top cop's message to his force as new restrictions hit the city on Wednesday. Keeping in mind that dejection and frustration might be common among the public, Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrale, in a video message being circulated in the force, has advised the personnel against high-handedness.

Commissioner of Police Hemant Nagrale. File pic

There is a lot of difference between the earlier lockdown and the current lockdown. Earlier, citizens were mentally ready, now they are not. People are frustrated and dejected; we need to be patient with them. No one should punish or beat citizens for violating rules," Nagrale said before the restrictions came into force at 8 pm on Wednesday.

The new COVID-19-related restrictions announced by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday will be in force till May 1. Nagrale's instructions came considering that law enforcement would have one of the major roles to play during this period.

Nagrale said, "Mumbai has a population of 1.50 crore, many of them live in poor conditions, a majority of them are daily wage workers, the lockdown will impact this class in particular. If police find such people roaming outside, they should ask for the reason for being out. They might have come out to get food for their kids or to take medicines for unwell people. Cross-check their claims but do not apply brutal force or punish them."

Nagrale mentioned videos where cops are seen making violators do sit-ups or even beat them. "Place yourself in the person's position. Would you take such insult in front of your family? In fact, we should help such needy people. We have done a great job till now, but one mistake from one cop gets viral and our image gets tarnished," he said.

Traffic police make people who ventured out during the lockdown in March last year do sit-ups in Vakola

"With black marketing of drugs like Remdisivir going on, we should keep a check. If we get any information about it, we must raid such places and make the drug available to hospitals. Every policeman should have contacts at the hospitals or COVID facility in their jurisdiction and help people looking for beds while on duty. Sealed buildings should be looked after by us, too. We should check if they need any help," Nagrale said.

He added, "I understand there is a lot of pressure on police due to COVID duties, as we also have to do regular work like bandobast, detection and night rounds. But I am sure that we will not step back and will fight this invisible enemy. Every cop should take care of themselves, their subordinates and family."