Mumbai :-Despite the Maharashtra government’s decision not to take action against the homeless in winter and the Supreme Court’s order to build 125 night shelters in Mumbai, the Mumbai police system is violating the orders by doing innovative plight to the homeless. Complaining to the Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Police Commissioner, RTI activist Anil Galgali has demanded that the Deputy Commissioner of Police and Senior Police Inspector role and action should be investigated and action should be taken against them.
For the past five days, the Mumbai Police has been taking brutal action against the homeless citizens of South Mumbai. More than 50,000 homeless citizens in Mumbai who do not have their own homes live in various places like roads, footpaths, railway stations, flyovers, open spaces. Various types of people like some single citizens as well as elderly men and women, young boys and girls have been living homeless in Mumbai for years. For the past few days, Charni Road, SK Patil Park Footpath, Opera House, Azad Maidan, Lokmanya Tilak Marg, V. P. Road, DB Marg, Dawa Bazar places homeless on traget of police.
In the dark of evening and night, a police force suddenly arrives. Sleeping homeless are woken up and driven away. Those who will resist are beaten with sticks. In some places, plastic and cardboard roofs were built. They have been crushed by this action. Clothes, food grains, children’s school books were seized from the homeless. In an operation near SK Patil Park, water was poured on the footpath with a tanker. After the operation, this inhumane act was fought so that these citizens should not live in that place again. Interestingly, the state government has given clear orders not to take action against homeless citizens in winter. The government decision in this regard has been published on 24 December 2021. Anger is being expressed that action is being taken even after that.
Right to information activist Anil Galgali said that he had met Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar on September 1, 2022 to stop action against homeless citizens. At that time, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) had asked for information regarding the night shelter of the homeless as well as the policy and regulations of the state government. It was given on 6 September 2022 through email. In a letter sent to the Deputy Chief Minister and Police Commissioner, Galgali has demanded an inquiry as to why this action was taken even after that. In this letter, Galgali has demanded that the action should be stopped until adequate shelter centers are set up and houses should be provided to homeless people under the Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme. Deputy Commissioner of Police Dr Abhinav Deshmukh, Jyoti Desai and Pradeep Khude name are mentioned in Anil Galgali’s letter.
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