The curious case of the commissioner's comments

Mumbai police chief Sanjay Barve has raised eyebrows after he came out in support of the Citizen Amendment Act CAA and National Register of Citizens NRC while addressing preachers from the Muslim community on WednesdayMAHA Vikas Aaghadi MVA partner NCP asked him to refrain from making political comments and focus on law and order The Congress and NCP are completely against the law Shiv Sena had voted in favour of the bill in Lok Sabha and walked out of the Rajya Sabha when it was tabled Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has also assured Muslims that the law will not be implemented in the state and no one has to worry about their citizenshipAccording to sources Mumbai polices intelligence department has shared inputs about unrest in the Muslim community over CAA and the National Register of Citizens NRC Several peaceful protests have been held in the city but the intelligence department was worried about law and order as antisocial elements may take advantage of the situation to disrupt the peace in the cityFollowing the inputs Barve called a meeting with community and religious leaders during which he said I was born at home and I dont have a birth certificate This doesnt mean I will be thrown out of the country I will prove my citizenship whenever required Indians living here legally wont be impacted by CAA and NRC If I have nothing to worry about then how are Muslims going to lose their citizenship Misinformation is being spread among Muslims and they have been misguided about the lawThe draft NRC has not been prepared yet If it comes only outsiders will have problems not us Indians Keep praying for your country during Friday prayers There are some people trying to disturb the peace and harmony in the city trying to create a communal divide Many people are asking for police permission to protest they mostly belong to the leftist ideology I know who they are and what they want People are requested to not participate in protests that do not have police permission he addedWhen asked about his remarks blaming the leftist ideology he said Misconceptions and rumours are there we know they are being spread through social media There are some people trying to disturb peace and harmony we know who are they but we are keeping the city safemidday reached out to Sena spokespersons Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi but did not get a response to calls and messagesAvoid political statements NCPBarves job is to maintain law and order in the city He should refrain from making political comments If he said something like this it is serious Our stand is clear that we will not support any law which is biassed towards any religion said NCP spokesperson Nawab MalikThis is wrong CongReacting sharply to Barves comments former chief minister Ashok Chavan said This is a mass movement by the people of India the entire country is protesting against the law the commissioners statement is wrong I want to know if this is the governments standFormer IPS officers speakFormer city police chief M N Singh said that Barve did not break any rules and appreciated his comments He did nothing wrong what he has spoken is the fact He should be appreciated for it Singh saidOfficers at such high position should be guarded about what they are saying publicly said retired IPS officer P K JainWhich sect within the Left is he talking aboutWe are very clear that the law is unconstitutional and discriminatory The entire country is protesting In Maharashtra with the help of the government almost every protest went peacefully During the August Kranti Maidan protest we worked in very close coordination with the Commissioner of Police and we thank him for the entire bandobast As far as the left is concerned there is a different sect he must come clear on which sect he is talking about and whose permission he has refused said activist Feroze MithiborwalaWe have been doing our best to maintain peace in the city by taking religious leaders into confidence and assuring them that nothing wrong will happen to them I have just said that I have been receiving a lot of applications for protests mostly from people from the Left said BarveCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates