Police imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Aarey Colony and neighbouring areas on Saturday, banning unlawful assembly, following protests by activists against the felling of trees in the green zone for a Metro car shed, an official said.
Police have booked 38 protesters under various sections of the Indian Penal Code since late Friday night, the official said. Another official said that more than 60 people protesting the felling of trees had been detained.
The Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) started hacking trees late on Friday to make way for the car shed, hours after Bombay High Court dismissed four pleas filed by NGOs and activists challenging the decision to allow felling of trees in the prime green lung of the city.
As the MMRCL started cutting trees, hundreds of green activists held protests and tried to stop the action.
“We have imposed Section 144 of the CrPC in Aarey Colony, Goregaon check post and surrounding areas,” the Mumbai police spokesperson said.
As of now, at least 38 protesters have been booked under Section 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 143 (unlawful assembly) and 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), he said.
Hundreds of people gathered at the site of the proposed car shed after they were informed that trees were being axed by authorities late on Friday.
However, the police started dispersing the crowd and had to forcibly remove the protesters, the official said. When the situation worsened, police started taking protesters in custody.
People, including celebrities, took to Twitter to voice their protest:
#AareyForest is being murdered right now, in the dead of night. @narendramodi @Dev_Fadnavis , please don't do this.
— VISHAL DADLANI (@VishalDadlani) October 4, 2019
Please make one call and get this stopped, at least until the SC has a chance to review the… https://t.co/TDdh8cr8ho
Whoever can please come! #AareyForest #SaveAarey pic.twitter.com/i1uqTAWqMg
— Rashi Shetty (@rashishetty408) October 5, 2019
Some faulted politicians for not doing enough:
Hundreds of Mumbaikars have gathered to stop the massacre of #AareyForest and facing the wrath of the police.
— Abhijeet Dipke (@abhijeet_dipke) October 4, 2019
Where's @AUThackeray who promised that he won't allow cutting down even a single tree?#SaveAarey pic.twitter.com/zbaHOLa0LW
Others, however, took a different view:
-Teen travelling in Bullet Train asking undeveloped countries “How Dare They” care about development.
— Shash (@pokershash) October 5, 2019
-Actors travelling in SUVs asking local train users to not to be selfish about Metro.
-Celebreties tweeting from bath-tub n asking people to save water.#AareyForest
There were a few on Twitter who were cheeky:
The Maharashtra Government will stop cutting the trees immediately if someone made them realise that you can’t spell Ram without RA.#AareyForest
— Shridhar V (@iimcomic) October 5, 2019
Around 60 protesters were detained by the Aarey police, he added.
The police have cordoned off the area and people are not allowed to enter the locality.
Additional police personnel were called in to prevent untoward incidents, the official said.
