3 held for posts appealing for mass protests

In connection with the row that erupted after the BMC tried to raze the illegal portion of a Dharavi mosque, the police have arrested three people for allegedly uploading provocative posts on social media, after which scores of people took to the streets on Saturday.

The Dharavi police had registered an FIR the same day against unidentified individuals under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including rioting, unlawful assembly, and assaulting public servants.

According to the police, several provocative social media posts, created by anonymous accounts, called for mass participation in the protests. The police claimed that nearly 5,000 people gathered in Dharavi; many of whom were not local residents, they added. During the protest, two BMC vans were vandalised, with their front glass shattered by bamboo sticks and stones.