Mumbai Hawker QR Code Scheme Sparks Security Debate; BJP Corporator Seeks Police Verification Before Rollout

Mumbai, June 5: At a time when the BJP-led BMC has initiated the process to issue QR code-based identity cards for 99,435 hawkers identified in the 2014 survey, a BJP corporator raised an objection that the QR Code hawker scheme should not compromise national security, demanding a thorough police investigation into Bangladeshi infiltrators, fake documentation, and family background verification.

Concerns over national security

Raising a point of order in the civic standing committee on Friday, corporator Tejinder Singh Tiwana said that while the objective of identifying authorized hawkers and controlling unauthorized hawkers is welcome, this process raises serious questions from the perspective of national security.

"In Mumbai, it has been revealed in several cases in the past that Bangladeshi infiltrators have obtained fake birth certificates, fake identity cards, and fake documents. In some cases, the birth certificate system of the BMC itself has also been misused. In such a situation, authorizing anyone just by giving a QR Code can be very dangerous," Tiwana said.

Verification and police scrutiny demands

"While protecting the rights of hawkers, it is necessary to give top priority to the safety of Mumbaikars. The QR Code scheme should be implemented only after implementing a strict verification mechanism based on the principle of 'Security First'," the BJP corporator added.

He also demanded that every hawker should undergo strict police verification for all documents, family background verification, and that documents like Aadhaar, PAN card, voter ID, and birth certificates should be forensically verified.

Tiwana called for strict police action against those who have submitted unverified documents, security audits through ATS, Special Branch, and intelligence agencies, and a special investigation to ensure that no Hawala, illegal funding, or terror funding is being carried out through the hawker network.

Support for QR code scheme

Shiv Sena group leader Amey Ghole said that authorized hawkers in Mumbai must receive QR code identification cards and that if there are any security concerns, the local police will investigate them. He added that there are a large number of Marathi hawkers in Mumbai, and it is unfair to oppose issuing identification cards to all.

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During the discussion on this objection, Standing Committee Chairman Prabhakar Shinde stated that while the issue and concerns raised are valid, they were not completely accurate, and he dismissed Tiwana's point of order.

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