Coronavirus outbreak: Mumbai police to investigate intelligence failure

The Mumbai police set up an internal enquiry on Wednesday to find out how exactly such a huge crowd gathered at Bandra railway station amid a lockdown on Tuesday Finding out what went wrong is part of our probe Action will be taken if negligence is found on part of the police a senior officer said on condition of anonymityHome Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday Misinformation regarding the commencement of trains from April 14 2020 was spread using 11 different methods The accounts have been tracked FIRs are being filed and due legal consequences will followMeanwhile Bandra police which failed to gather intelligence about thousands of migrant workers gathering just 500 meters away from the police station and the zonal DCPs office arrested a social and political activist Vinay Dubey in a connection with the protest outside Bandra railway station Dubey in a series of social media posts had uploaded videos asking all migrants to gather on Tuesday He has been booked under the Epidemic Disease Act and several other sections of the Indian Penal CodeIn the videos Dubey is heard saying The government must arrange trains for us and allow us to go back to our homes I will also walk with all of you if needIn addition to the videos he also put up posts exhorting migrants to come out of their houses during the lockdown The posts will be examined thoroughly an officer saidBandra police discovered Dubeys posts after the protest ended He was first detained by Navi Mumbai police and handed over to Mumbai policeThree FIRSWe have registered three different FIRs in connection with the Bandra incident In one of the cases we have arrested Vinay Dubey and court has remanded him to police custody till April 21 said Abhishek Trimukhe DCP Zone IX The second FIR was against journalist Rahul Kulkarni from Marathi news channel ABP Majha The third FIR is against over 1000 people who participated in the gathering and violated the lockdownSources said the police identified nine suspects for violating the lockdown and arrested themThree others were detained for questioning as police are visiting slums near Bandra railway station to question residents The three were identified as Mohammad Vishwa Mohammad Ammaruddin 38 Rauf Hussain Shaikh 36 and Alam Mohammad Salim Shaikh 28 all residents of Shastri Nagar Bandra West I dont know why police took my son Shahid Shaikh He is innocent A police officer said they will question him regarding yesterdays incident but my son had only gone to find out why so many people have gathered said Imran Shaikh a resident of Shashtri Nagar Another resident Zamila Shaikh said Police asked my son Rauf Shaikh to come to the police station They are questioning him regarding yesterdays incidentCharges against journalist Kulkarni false says ABP Majha editorABP Majha editor Rajeev Khandekar on Wednesday decried the arrest of his colleague Rahul Kulkarni and said the charges against him were false He said the news report was based on a letter that even the Congress leaders in New Delhi had used to demand special trains for migrants and stranded labourersThis is injustice to us and a blow to freedom of press Our report didnt say anything about the timing or the day the trains would start but stated that the Railways was thinking about operating trains to carry home migrants and labourers The same letter was quoted by Congress leaders in New Delhi Then how could a state government of which the Congress is a partner resort to such a step he askedHe asked why nonMarathi speaking people responded to their report and not the rest of Maharashtra Were any other railways stations in the state flooded by the people Now videos and other materials substantiate that there was something else behind the gathering It is the matter of investigation now he saidKhandekar said the channel would fight the malicious criminal changes slapped against its staffer who is known for his integrity and professionalism Dharmendra JoreCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news