FIR registered against man for not wearing mask in Mumbai

Govandi police on Wednesday booked a 28-year-old man for not wearing a mask. This is the first time that officials of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) lodged

Govandi police on Wednesday booked a 28-year-old man for not wearing a mask. This is the first time that officials of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) lodged a first information report (FIR) against a citizen for not wearing a mask.

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According to the police, at around 1.30pm the team of civic officials from M West ward caught a man at Savli Naka in Khardev Nagar, Chembur without a mask. “We spotted Rahul Madhukar Wankhede roaming without wearing a mask. On asking he did not give satisfactory answers and argued with the officials. He was then taken to the Govandi police station,” said a police officer.

On the complaint of BMC employee Prathmesh Jadhav, the police have booked Wankhede under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 186 (voluntarily obstructing public servant in the discharge of his public functions) of Indian Penal Code. Both the sections are bailable.

Balasaheb Kedare, senior inspector of Govandi police station confirmed the development and said that the police would soon file a charge sheet against the offender.

“We have been booking those citizens who are not obeying government orders related to the lockdown,” Kedare said.

Fine of ₹200 is being imposed on those who are caught without a mask. Recently the civic body, to intensify the drive and to make it more effective, roped in police personnel and have now started registering FIRs against the offenders.

The BMC’s latest drive aims to penalise at least 20,000 such citizens daily. As part of this drive, on Tuesday, over 4,369 citizens were penalised and a fine of ₹8.73 lakh was collected, according to BMC data. BMC has so far collected over ₹1.05 crore from 38,866 violators since April.

(With inputs from Mehul Thakkar)