The NRI Coastal police have booked around 20,000 people for unlawful assembly, not abiding by the orders, and taking out a protest march in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
The agitation over the naming of the Navi Mumbai airport saw participation of thousands of project affected people and members of political parties. While the stretch on Palm Beach Road from NRI Estate to Kill junction was blocked, the Sion-Panvel highway was closed from Uran Phata to Kharghar. The organisers also used a drone without permission to shoot the protest rally.
Suresh Mengade, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone I, said they had sent notices and warning to leaders organising the protest. “We even enforced Section 144 of Cr.PC but the agitators did not abide by our orders. We will now send notices to all those who have been named in the FIR. Others would be identified by the video evidence,” he said.
All Party Action Committee president Dashrath Patil, former MP Ramsheth Thakur, MLAs Prashant Thakur, Manda Mhatre, Mahesh Baldi, former MLA Sandeep Naik, former Mayor Sagar Naik, and Panvel Mayor Kavita Chautmal were among those named in the FIR, which, among others, mentions that the protesters did not follow the COVID-19 norms.
They have been booked under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code, Maharashtra Police Act, Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and Maharashtra Covid Regulations, 2020.
