A day after a 45-year-old died after falling from the fifth floor of Mantralaya, security was beefed up with at least seven to eight police constables and officers guarding each floor, checking identity cards and asking people not to stand near the escalator or bend over the railings.
Even as additional forces were called in on Friday, security officers at Mantralaya said special orders had been issued to keep an eye on visitors between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., when the crowd starts to recede.
On an average, 3,500 people visit Mantralaya daily. On the days that the Cabinet meets, this number increases to 7,000 visitors. Additionally, 4,000 employees work here. Around 170 police officials of different ranks work in the building.
“Our job is to check visitors’ luggage, identity cards, and also confiscate objectionable things. Employees are free to go and come but we have to check their identities as well,” said an official.
Meanwhile, the father of 45-year-old Harshal Raote told police officers that his son was going through depression and wanted to get out of jail.
Suresh Raote (76) claimed his son’s body from JJ Hospital after post-mortem, late on Thursday evening. While finishing the police formalities, he told Marine Drive police officers that his son was hopeful about parole extension. Harshal was cremated in Chembur.
