Mumbai: At a time when the country is battling with the emerging third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic due to the highly-contagious Omicron variant, India’s financial capital has been put on high alert after the Mumbai Police received intelligence inputs that Khalistani elements were planning to carry out terror strikes in the city on New Year’s Eve.
As a precautionary measure, the Mumbai Police has cancelled holidays and weekly offs of all its personnel on December 31.
“All police holidays and weekly holidays have been cancelled tomorrow and every policeman posted in Mumbai will be on duty. Information was received that Khalistani elements could carry out terrorist attacks in the city, after which the Mumbai Police has been on alert,” the force said.
Furthermore, tight security has been deployed at all major stations in Mumbai, such as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Bandra Churchgate, Kurla, among others.
“In view of the alert in Mumbai, tight security has been deployed at the major stations of Mumbai, Dadar, Bandra Churchgate, CSMT, Kurla and other stations. Tomorrow, more than 3,000 railway officers will be deployed,” Quaiser Khalid, Commissioner of Police, Mumbai Railway, said.
The security flare-up comes at a time when Mumbai fears a potential third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, with Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar saying that the new wave could be more terrible than then one that accompanied the Delta variant around April-May this year.
The Mumbai Police earlier in the day imposed Section 144 in the city starting today till January 7. As per the new Covid-19 restrictions, prohibition has been placed on New Year’s celebrations, parties in any closed or open space including restaurants, hotels, bars, pubs, resorts and clubs from December 30 to January 7.
“The order shall come into the force, in the areas under the control of Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai from 00:00 Hrs of 30th December 2021 and will remain in force till 24:00 Hrs of 7th January 2022, unless withdrawn earlier,” the directive stated.
Chaitanya S, Deputy Commissioner of Police, said that “any person contravening this order shall be punishable under section 188 of Indian Penal Code 1860 in addition to the penal provision under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 and National Disaster Management Act 2005 and other legal provisions as applicable”.