Not cricket: Cops play spoilsport at Juhu beach

Instances of the police confiscating did not seem to be rare either; a poll pasted on a WhatsApp group with over 600 members had at least 40 people concur that they had witnessed it happen too, with cricket bats and footballs

Mumbai: Amid hundreds of revellers and walkers on Juhu beach on Sunday, young cricketers were gearing up for an exciting beach cricket match. The focus of each team was to aim for big scores. However, the buzz in the air suddenly became fraught when a police jeep arrived on the beach pitch and started confiscating their bats.

Not cricket: Cops play spoilsport at Juhu beach

Witness to this was citizen activist Zoru Bathena who captured this on video and posted it on social media.

“It was around 5:30pm and several people were playing on the beach,” said Bathena. “They were not bothering anybody or causing any issue with the others around, but the police went around and picked up three bats from three different spots. There are no rules stopping people from playing cricket, so I wonder why the officers were confiscating them.”

Instances of the police confiscating did not seem to be rare either; a poll pasted on a WhatsApp group with over 600 members had at least 40 people concur that they had witnessed it happen too, with cricket bats and footballs.

Meanwhile, the video sparked a debate on citizen WhatsApp groups and on social media, with some lamenting the dearth of public spaces in the city where one could play sports. While others highlighted the danger posed to people by balls flying at high speeds.

A beach football coach, Preetam Mahadik, who conducts his training on the Juhu beach every day and is currently playing in Daman and Diu, said there were no rules preventing people from playing on the beach.

“The police know I take my training there, and they’ve never stopped me. There are always others playing too. We try to keep out of the way of walkers, and as we play on the wet sand, it’s not too much of a hassle,” said Mahadik.

He added, “While I do not know the specifics of what happened, usually on Sundays, if there is a lot of crowds, the police ask those playing to get out of the way of walkers.”

Nicky D’Souza, a Juhu Koliwada resident who used to play football on the beach, said he’d seen the police confiscate bats and balls a few times too. “Especially on Sundays when there are a lot of people on the beach, walkers complain, so the police stop them. Often they tell them to come back to the police station to collect their bats or balls.”

On Sunday, D’Souza witnessed police action on the same lines at Bandra Fort, where the police were asking people to leave in the evening time. “There is no other place for us to play, which is why people opt for the beach, people coming even from places that are a distance away,” he added.

Another resident who frequents the beach for walks, Lalita, presented a different view. “There are so many groups playing cricket and football on the weekends that it’s almost impossible to walk on the beach; you’re almost dodging them at every step. While it is true that the underprivileged deserve and have a right to play, and don’t have access to grounds they could play in, the space can be segregated so both players and walkers can co-exist.”

A senior inspector from the Santacruz police station denied any bats had been confiscated, “A lot of people come to Juhu beach on Sundays. We get complaints from the walkers, who the balls can hurt, stopping them from walking in peace. The players were also very close to the water, and as a high tide can come in at any moment, we had to be a little strict in stopping them from playing, for their safety and the safety of others.”