Uran police have registered an FIR against 750 people including senior members of Navi Mumbai All-Party Action Committee (NMAPAC) for allegedly holding the Torch Morcha on August 9 in Jasai village and other parts of the city without permission. Even the Navi Mumbai police had issued them notice under CrPC 149 preventing them to assemble in five or more numbers.
Under the banner of NMAPAC, thousands of villagers held Torch Morcha in Navi Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad district to put pressure on the state government to name the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) after socialist late D B Patil. However, they did not have police permission being the COVID law enforced in the city.
As per the FIR, the case has been registered against Dashrath Patil, Prashant Thakur, Ramseth Thakur, Panvel mayor Kavita Chautmal among others. The case has been registered under section 141, 341, 188, 269, and 270 of IPC, section 11 of Maharashtra COVID-19 Regulations, and sections 37 (1) (3) 135 of Maharashtra Police Act.
They had also threatened to stop the ongoing airport work from August 16 if the state government does not accept their demand.
According to senior police official, a case was registered against 24 office bearers of NMAPAC and around 700 to 750 people who joined the morcha across the city.
The villagers had started the torch morcha from Jasai village, the birthplace of late D B Patil. It was then moved to a nearby taluka and villages to ignite other torches. As per the NMAPAC, thousands of villagers from over 27 villages in Navi Mumbai participated in the torch morcha on August 9. The purpose is to make villagers aware of the movement. August 9 is commemorated as August Kranti Diwas.
On June 24, more than 20,000 villagers staged a protest in Belapur, under the banner of NMAPAC. The police later filed an FIR against several politicians for assembling without permission during the pandemic.
