A day after they faced flak for issuing preventive notices to several eminent social workers and activists, the Palghar police on Wednesday withdrew the notices and claimed that they were issued because of “a glitch in the system.”
On Sunday, the Palghar police had issued preventive notices under the Code of Criminal Procedures (CrPC), which are usually issued to habitual criminals and offenders based in the jurisdictions of all the police stations in the Palghar commissionerate. Several of these notices were issued to social workers, activists and writers, which also include some senior citizens.
Vijaykant Sagar, Additional Superintendent of Police, Vasai division said that the action had been taken in keeping with the preventive measures undertaken before every election to ensure that elections are conducted in free and fair conditions.
“As part of the preventive procedure, we issue notices to habitual criminals and offenders. A few days back we received a report which contained the names of people to whom we had to issue the notices. Due to a glitch in the process, names of some social workers and activists got associated with that list, and they were issued the notices as well. We officially withdrew the wrongly issued notices on Tuesday,” he said.
Victims speak
Senior social worker and activist Marcus Dabre (78), who was one of the recipients of the notices, said, "In last several years of relentless social work, it is for the first time that I have received such a notice. The notice projects me as a criminal and sending someone a notice of this nature without conducting sufficient inquiry is unacceptable."
Mr. Dabre added that he doesn't blame the police for sending the notice as they were just obeying the orders given to them. "I firmly believe that there are some political motivations behind this. This notice is an attempt to damage our reputation," he said.
Social worker and activist Dominica Dabre said that the havoc that followed the notice had caused the police withdrew the notice, which amounts to the police admitting their mistake.