Six residents of Shivaji Nagar have been arrested after a policeman was injured in a clash between residents and police personnel at 6.50 p.m. on Sunday.
The Shivaji Nagar police said they received a call about a mob gathering near Shahid-e-Azam mosque in the area and they sent a team to the location.
An officer said, “We found 28 to 30 people at the spot gathered around a few vendors who had come to sell vegetables in clear violation of the lockdown. As they were not taking any precautions, such as social distancing, we started making announcements asking them to disperse immediately.”
The officer said the mob, instead of complying with the orders, started raising slogans. “The sloganeering made things worse. Within minutes, some of them started pelting stones at our vehicles. We tried to use force to disperse the mob as some of them came charging at us with iron rods. One of our officers sustained a hand injury while preventing a rod from striking his head.”
A wireless alert had been sent out and patrolling vehicles in the vicinity were diverted to the spot. Additional personnel from the police station also arrived. The mob dispersed on seeing the reinforcements.
Senior police inspector Sudarshan Paithankar said, “We have so far arrested six accused. We have charged them with assault, use of force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty, disobeying an order promulgated by a government servant, and negligent conduct pertaining to an infectious disease under the Indian Penal Code and the Disaster Management Act.”
Officers said bandobast has been imposed and patrolling stepped up in the area to ensure that law and order is maintained.