Congress chief claims cops ‘following’ him
MUMBAI: The chief of the state Congress unit, Sanjay Nirupam, has raised objections to his movements allegedly being restricted by police officials, in the wake of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah’s visit to the city on Wednesday.
Nirupam alleged that police officials have been keeping a watch on him since morning, in anticipation of a protest against Shah and the BJP. Initially, Nirupam claimed that he was under “house arrest”, but later clarified that a team of police officials were following him around and keeping watch, in violation of his fundamental rights.
Home department sources, however, said it was routine practice to keep Opposition leaders, who are “probable trouble-makers”, under watch during VVIPS visits, to prevent untoward incidents. “I was not given any reason for a police van following my car when I was on my way to the party office at Azad Maidan. When I asked the officers, they were unable to give any reason and merely said they are doing it on orders of higher-ups,” he said. “I believe these steps are being taken as Amit Shah is visiting Mumbai, and they anticipate that I may create trouble.” Nirupam has been placed under actual house arrest by the Mumbai police in the past — in December 2016, he was not allowed to step out of his Andheri house after he planned a silent protest at Bandra-kurla Complex on the sidelines of the bhoomipujan of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in the Arabian sea by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.