The police in Maharashtra was attacked by a mob at Malegaon in Maharashtra on Thursday. It was the latest instance in a series of lockdown violation in the state. In a video that has now gone viral on social media, the mob can be seen attacking the Police in large numbers before the Police managed to get the situation under control.
Here is Video from Malegaon
— Suresh Nakhua 🇮🇳 ( सुरेश नाखुआ ) (@SureshNakhua) April 23, 2020
Mob attacking police forces now.
After Sadhus being killed , forces attacked in Aurangabad.
As expected #MahaAfzalAghadi govt sleeping. pic.twitter.com/r2TYKQZP5N
The Malegaon Police have said that action will be taken against the lockdown violators. The violation apparently occurred in an area that has been declared a Coronavirus containment zone. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP), Malegaon, Sandeep Ghuge told Mirror Online that so far around 115 people have been identified. The process of registering the offences against them under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) and 270 (Malignant act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) is presently underway at the Killa Police Station. “They have not only violated the curfew norms during the lockdown, but also endangered their and that of others’ lives by defying the social distancing norms,” Ghuge said.
Past lockdown violations in Maharashtra
On the 14th of April, migrant workers came out in large numbers at Bandra and Mumbra after the lockdown was extended till the 3rd of May in order to combat the Wuhan Coronavirus. The Police had to resort to lathi-charge in order to disperse the crowd. Home Minister Amit Shah had then spoken to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and emphasized that such violations hurt India’s fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus.
A breakdown of law and order in Maharashtra
The law and order situation in Maharashtra is fast deteriorating. Recently, in Palghar, three people including two Sadhus of the Juna Akhara were lynched to death by a bloodthirsty mob. In the video of the incident that had gone viral, the Police could be seen handing over one of the old Sadhus to the mob. The incident has caused huge outrage and the Maharashtra government has had to face a lot of flak for it. And late at night on the intervening night between the 22nd and the 23rd of April, Republic Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami was attacked by two goons of the Congress party for questioning Sonia Gandhi’s (Antonia Maino) silence on the matter.