Maharashtra Political Crisis: Section 144 Imposed in Mumbai

Mumbai Police on Saturday imposed section 144 of CrPc in the city amid the political crisis in Maharashtra.

Mumbai Police issued a high alert and directed all police stations to ensure security at all political offices in the city after reports of Shiv Sainiks allegedly ransacking the offices of rebel legislators.

It has been directed that officer-level police personnel shall visit every political office to ensure their safety.

Shiv Sena workers protested against rebel MLAs of the party and burnt effigies outside the party office in Kharghar. Shiv Sena workers ransacked the office of rebel party MLA Tanaji Sawant in Pune. Sawant is one of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs of the Eknath Shinde faction and is currently camping in Guwahati in Assam.

Meanwhile, rebel Shiv Sena leader and state cabinet minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray over the alleged 'malicious' withdrawal of security of family members of the 38 MLAs camping with him in a Guwahati hotel.

In his letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil, Shinde claimed that the security provided to the MLAs at their residence as well as to their family members as per the protocol has been illegally and unlawfully withdrawn, as an act of revenge. However, Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil refuted Shinde's claim of withdrawal of security.

As the four-day-old political crisis, triggered due to a revolt by a group of Sena MLAs led by cabinet minister Shinde, showed no signs of heading towards a resolution, Thackeray upped the ante and said those who want to leave can do so and communicated directly with Shiv Sainiks and mid-level functionaries, and also met NCP president Sharad Pawar, whose party is the second largest constituent in the ruling MVA alliance.

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