'No curfew here?' Mumbaikars post traffic jam photos, ask police to take action

On the first day of curfew in Mumbai, the city police were flooded with complaints on social media on how Section 144 was flouted as people took to the streets to play cricket, have tea and cigarettes.

From 8pm on April 14, Section 144 of CrPC has been imposed in the entire state of Maharashtra barring the gathering of four or more people. The restrictions will be in place till May 1. In this period, only essential shops and services are allowed to function.

The Gateway of India wears a deserted look on Thursday as Section 144 has been imposed in the city as well as in the state. (PTI)

However, the rules are being royally flouted on Thursday as people took to Twitter and shared photos of non-essential shops running, traffic congestion at a time when only essential workers are supposed to be on road, and that of small crowds in front of cigarette shops. Mumbai Police, which was tagged in such tweets, said it was constantly giving the social media feedback to police stations concerned. Complaints of people gathering for cigarettes, tea were plenty while several users posted photo of traffic congestion, ongoing construction work in Mumbai.

The restrictions have created confusion among traders and businessmen as to what falls under essential category. While all non-essential services have been disallowed in the city, home delivery is allowed. On Wednesday, as the city came under Section 144, Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal took to Twitter and said that the food delivery app won't deliver after 8pm according to the guidelines. After Mumbai police clarified that there is no time restriction for online services, Zomato said it will be delivering in the curfew hours starting from Thursday.

Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Thursday reviewed the restrictions as he visited Gamdevi, Lokmanya Tilak Marg police stations and other places in the city and interacted with local constables.

"Police are deployed to implement the prohibitory orders, but we are not using any force on people," he said, according to news agency PTI. If any person is found outside without a valid reason, then the police personnel are giving him a warning and sending him back home, he added.