Morcha poses dual challenge for police in Navi Mumbai

Protestors celebrate morcha’s win. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Along with ensuring that the Maratha community's protest passed off without any law and order issues, the Navi Mumbai police were also faced with the additional challenge of ensuring the morcha did not hinder supply of goods to the Agricultural Produce Market Committee's market.

Lakhs of Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil's supporters of made a beeline for Navi Mumbai, after being denied permission to protest at Azad Maidan and directed to the International Corporation Park Ground at Kharghar instead. "We had around 3000 personnel on the ground for 48 hours to ensure law and order," said Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe.

Officials added that the forces were deployed along the route that the protestors were taking. The crowd, which was supposed to reach the ground on Thursday afternoon, got there on Friday instead. They had also decided to take a halt at the APMC market. "We realised that trucks loaded with produce would also be coming in at the same time, and hence, made alternate arrangements for them to rest. Food and water was provided to them, so that the produce could reach the market on time," said a senior police officer who was part of the deployment.