No need to panic: Aaditya Thackeray on Section 144 in Mumbai

Mumbai: Less than an hour after the Mumbai Police issued a new notification stating that Section 144 was being imposed in Mumbai, many have taken to social media platforms wondering if another lockdown would soon be in place.

And while some on social media platforms expressed consternation over the possibility, others rushed to inform that the Centre's Unlock guidelines did not allow for a state or city-wide lockdown.

NO need to PANIC

The order issued under section 144 CrPC is only an extension of the previous order issued on 31st August.
No new restrictions have been imposed by @MumbaiPolice .

Please share and don’t panic. #Section144 #Mumbai

— Aaditya Thackeray (@AUThackeray) September 17, 2020

This is however a misleading claim. While Section 144 has indeed been imposed, this is a routine order issued every 15 days. Even as the notification indicates that movement will be restricted, it also mentions that exemptions will be made. In this case, all activities mentioned in the previous order are exempted. According to officials, unlocking will continue as per the August 31 order.

But as confusion reigned supreme, State Tourism and Environment Minister, Aaditya Thackeray stepped in with a a clarification.

"NO need to PANIC. The order issued under section 144 CrPC is only an extension of the previous order issued on 31st August. No new restrictions have been imposed by Mumbai Police. Please share and don’t panic," he reiterated.