Mumbai has come under a fresh round of prohibitory orders, with the city police clamping down on gatherings from July 23 right through to August 6. Under the order, no group of five or more people is allowed to assemble at any public place in the city for the entire six-and-a-half-week stretch.
The same order also rules out dharnas, protests, morchas and processions of any kind, and puts a complete stop on the use of loudspeakers until it lifts. Police officials said the step is purely precautionary, meant to keep law and order in check across the city rather than respond to any specific threat. This kind of curb is nothing new for Mumbai either, since the city police have kept some version of it running for a long stretch of time now, reviewing the order periodically and extending it whenever it is felt necessary.
What exactly falls under the ban
The order applies to any assembly of five or more people at public spaces anywhere in the city through the entire window. Dharnas, protests, morchas and processions will not be allowed under any circumstance during this period, and loudspeakers cannot be used anywhere within city limits. The restriction runs without a break from July 23 all the way to August 6.
Who has been granted exemptions
- Weddings and events connected to them are kept outside the scope of this order.
- Gatherings for funerals, along with processions carrying a body to a cremation ground or burial site, are also exempt.
- Legally mandated meetings of companies, clubs, cooperative societies and other organisations are allowed to go ahead as usual.
- Routine meetings and general gatherings tied to the everyday functioning of clubs, cooperative societies and other organisations are permitted as well.
- People gathering at cinema halls, theatres or any public entertainment venue to watch films, plays or other performances will not fall under the ban.
- Gatherings at courts and at offices of government or local bodies for official work remain exempt too.
- Students and staff gathering at schools, colleges and other educational institutions for academic purposes are also allowed.
- Gatherings at factories, shops and other establishments for regular trade and business will continue as usual.
- Any other assembly or procession that gets specific clearance from the Zonal Deputy Commissioner of Police of Greater Mumbai or the supervisory officers concerned will also be permitted.
A BEST bus crash in Mankhurd kills one
In a separate incident in the city, a BEST bus rammed into a roadside divider in Mumbai's Mankhurd area on Monday morning, killing one person and leaving 10 others injured. The crash took place on the Sion-Panvel highway. Municipal officials confirmed the accident, saying the person who died was 62 years old, while the ten injured were rushed for treatment right after the crash.
