Cops get 10,000 calls in 1 day, some seek help for medical emergencies

The city may have come to a standstill after the lockdown was imposed last Monday, but the same cannot be said for the Mumbai Police Twitter handle and helpline,

The city may have come to a standstill after the lockdown was imposed last Monday, but the same cannot be said for the Mumbai Police Twitter handle and helpline, which have been flooded with complaints and queries by Mumbaiites.

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Most calls and tweets have been regarding the inability to purchase medical supplies and essential supplies. Residents have complained that police are shutting down stores and preventing people from travelling, even during medical emergencies. “Usually our control room receives 6,000 calls a day, but on Wednesday the number shot up to nearly 10,000,” said a police officer. In his tweet, Daniel Trevor requested the Mumbai Police to review the situation in Bandra where all essential shops were closed and some grocery shops remained open for only 3 hours.

People with medical issues turned to social media to complain about the issues they are facing due to the lockdown. Rishi Agarwal, tweeted,” I am Thalassemia major patient, i need blood transfusion every 14days to stay alive, my next blood transfusion is on 28th march, i am sending blood donors to blood bank, but police is not allowing them to go for donation, please help me.@MumbaiPolice @MoHFW_INDIA @CMOMaharashtra” The police communicated privately with Agarwal after his tweet to help him.

Another Twitter user Vinayak told the police his 80-year-old grandfather was suffering from prostate cancer along with high blood pressure and diabetes. He asked what needed to be done in case of an emergency. Mumbai police replied to each tweet. Pranaya Ashok, DCP, operations, and spokesperson for Mumbai Police, said, “We will issue essential services passes for retail stores, kirana stores, etc, for smooth supply of provisions.”