Mohalla committees helped maintain peace, harmony in sensitive areas

As protesters went on a rampage at Azad Maidan on Saturday, members of the Mohalla Committee Movement Trust (MCMT) came together with their zone police and chalked out a plan to maintain peace and harmony in sensitive areas.

As protesters went on a rampage at Azad Maidan on Saturday, members of the Mohalla Committee Movement Trust (MCMT) came together with their zone police and chalked out a plan to maintain peace and harmony in sensitive areas.

HT Image

"We did not want a repeat of 1992 riots. Since everybody was scared, we urged Muslim youths to be calm and not to react to the situation. Our volunteers worked all night to ensure there was peace," said Maria Ishwaran, coordinator of the committee.

Following Saturday's incident, police have sounded alert in Muslim populated areas such as Govandi, Nagpada, Meghwadi, Jogeshwari, Malwani and Behrampada.

Pralhad Panaskar, senior inspector, Deonar police station, said: "They [the volunteers] were very helpful. Around 50-55 people gathered and spoke about peace and harmony over the loudspeaker. People also made sure there were no provocative videos being played or forwarded by locals."

The committee members and other volunteers in the area will now be putting up banners and posters to ensure that people don't react to rumours for the next few days. "It is a holy month for all. Everybody prayed for peace," said Nasima Khan, facilitator of the committee.