Mumbai: FIR registered against 28-year-old man for not wearing mask

Vistors at Mount Mary shrine in Bandra snapped without the mandatory mask. Pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The Mumbai Police on Wednesday booked a 28-year-old man from Govandi for not wearing a mask amid rising number of COVID-19 cases in the city. In a first, officials of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) lodged an FIR against a citizen for not wearing a mask.

Also Read: BMC Workers To Get 10 Per Cent of fine collected from 'no mask' offenders

Police officials said at around 1.30 pm the team of civic officials from M West ward caught a man at Savli Naka in Khardev Nagar, Chembur, without a mask.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, a police officer said, "We spotted Rahul Madhukar Wankhede roaming without wearing a mask. On asking, he did not give satisfactory answers and argued with the officials. He was then taken to Govandi police station."

Acting on the complaint of BMC employee Prathmesh Jadhav, the Govandi police booked Wankhede under Sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 186 (voluntarily obstructing public servant in the discharge of his public functions) of the Indian Penal Code. Both the sections are bailable.

Confirming the development Balasaheb Kedare, senior inspector of Govandi police station said that the police would soon file a charge sheet against the offender. "We have been booking those citizens who are not obeying government orders related to the lockdown," Kedare added.

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The civic body has imposed a fine of Rs 200 on those who are caught without a mask. In order to intensify the drive and make it more effective, the country's richest civic body has roped in police personnel and have now started registering FIRs against the offenders.

Recently, Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal ordered a mass drive of penalising 20,000 people per day found not wearing masks. Speaking to mid-day Chahal had said, "It is extremely important and vital to wear a mask, but a large number of citizens in Mumbai do not wear them. It can lead to the situation getting difficult in future and thereby delay the further opening up of Mumbai."

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