Fact-check: No fresh lockdown in Mumbai, viral claim is misleading

New Delhi (Vishvas News): On the evening of Thursday, a WhatsApp forward did rounds, a .pdf file, titled, ‘DCP Mumbai Police issues fresh Lockdown Orders’ was shared across the social media platforms that created panic, Vishvas News in its investigation found the claim to be misleading.

Claim

Facebook user Chirag Doshi, shared the pictures of orders issued by the Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai about the imposition of Section 144 of CrPC (Criminal Procedure Code) on his Facebook Wall, along with two pictures, he posted, “DCP Mumbai Police issues Fresh Lockdown Orders“

Check the archive version of the complete post here.

Investigation

Vishvas News checked the order by the ‘The Commissioner of Police, Greater Mumbai’, we found the press release on the website of Mumbai Police, mumbaipolice.gov.in

Vishvas News then used the appropriate keywords to check whether there are any reports of fresh lockdown in Mumbai.

We found a report in the Times of India titled, ‘Section 144 in Mumbai: No lockdown, routine order reissued, cops say’. Read the report here.

The report stated that ‘the Mumbai police on Thursday clarified no fresh restrictions on the movement of people had been imposed and they had simply reissued an existing order under Section 144 of CrPC that will be valid till September 30.’

We also found a report by Hindustan Times, ‘Section 144 in Mumbai: Does anything change? All you need to know,’ which stated ‘The re-imposition of Section 144 in Mumbai effectively doesn’t change anything, it has been clarified.‘

We later checked the social media handles of the Mumbai Police. Mumbai Police too on its Twitter account had clarified, that “Mumbaikars, the current prohibition on presence or movement in public places under Sec. 144 CrPC, is an extension of the previous prohibitory order.

No new restrictions have been imposed.

All exemptions as per Govt. of Maharashtra guidelines to continue”

State Cabinet Minister of Tourism and Environment Government of Maharashtra, Aaditya Thackeray too had clarified about the order on Twitter.

In the last stage of the investigation, Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP N Ambika said while talking to Vishvas News said that this is a routine order.
Vishvas News also contacted the DCP operations office where they denied the claims of fresh lockdown in MumbaiSection 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) prohibits the gathering of five or more than five persons in one place. This restriction has been in place in Mumbai ever since the lockdown began.

Facebook user Chirag Doshi who shared the viral claim, is a resident of Surat, Gujarat.