Prohibitory orders in Mumbai ahead of floor test and arrival of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs

Mumbai Police have stepped up security near Vidhan Bhavan ahead of the floor test slated for Thursday and along the route that the rebel MLAs of Shiv Sena are likely to take from the airport, an official said on Wednesday. Police have imposed section 144 of the CrPC banning the assembly of five or more persons and will not allow anybody to gather near the Vidhan Bhavan and surrounding areas in south Mumbai. Adequate police bandobast will be deployed along the route the Shiv Sena dissidents led by Eknath Shinde will take from the Mumbai airport to reach the Vidhan Bhavan Complex, the official said.

”Police and traffic police are on high alert anticipating protests by Shiv Sena supporters against the rebel MLAs when they will travel towards the Vidhan Bhavan,” he said. He also said traffic police will ensure that buses carrying the dissident MLAs reach the Vidhan Bhavan safely without any hurdles. ”Though there is no official communication about the transport plan of the rebels yet, a green corridor may be created for the movement of the buses of the dissidents,” the official said. Security has also been stepped up in important pockets of the metropolis.

As a precautionary measure, notices have been issued by the police under section 149 of the CrPC to more than 300 leaders and workers of all prominent political parties, he said. Prohibitory orders banning the assembly of more than five persons under section 37 of the Maharashtra Police Act are already in place.

The official said the security at the residences and offices of all the rebel MLAs has been beefed up across Mumbai and other parts of the state.