Mumbai: Man entering Mantralaya detained after knife found in his bag

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Mumbai Police on Thursday detained a man after a knife was allegedly found in his bag when he was entering Mantralaya, the Maharashtra secretariat complex in south Mumbai, a police official said, reported the PTI.

The man, who was being questioned by the police, is a resident of Umarga tehsil in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra, the official told the PTI.

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"While entering the new administrative building of Mantralaya in the afternoon for some work, his bag was scanned and a knife was found inside. Police personnel at the site detained him and he is being questioned about why he was in possession of a knife," the official said, as per the PTI.

Meanwhile, Mumbai Police registered a case against 11 protesters on the charge of attempting suicide after they climbed onto a safety net on the first floor of the Maharashtra secretariat in south Mumbai for various demands, an official said on Wednesday, the PTI reported.

A group of protesters on Tuesday allegedly climbed onto the safety net set up on the first floor of Mantralaya demanding proper compensation for their land acquired for the Upper Wardha dam project. They are residents of Morshi in Amravati district, according to police, according to the PTI.

The protesters also demanded four acres farm land for each villager whose land was acquired for the dam project and state government jobs for the project-affected people, the official said.

After the protest, police detained at least 40 protesters.

An FIR was registered against 11 of them under section 120 B (Criminal conspiracy), 143 (Unlawful assembly), 309 (Attempt to commit suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections of the Maharashtra Police Act for disobeying orders of Mumbai Police, the official said.

All the accused persons were allowed to go after serving them a notice to appear before the court, he added.

On Tuesday, the protesters shouting slogans and carrying placards walked onto the net suspended in the premises, even as police personnel, including officers, tried to drag them off, an official said, as per the PTI.

A safety net has been suspended in the premises of the Mantralaya to prevent suicides.

The agitation was staged around 3.30 pm by members of an action committee representing people affected by the Upper Wardha dam project at Morshi in Amravati district, the official said.

The protestors demanded an increase in the compensation for land acquired for the dam and sought government jobs for the project-affected people, he said.

(with PTI inputs)