The residents of the slums near Dr Ambedkar Road in Khar have alleged that a team of around 50 policemen wreaked havoc in their locality on Tuesday morning.  

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According to them, the policemen started abusing them and provoked people who were inside their house when it was still dark.

“They broke the doors of many homes using gun butts,” said Kishore Kadam, a resident of the area.  

However, deputy commissioner of police KMM Prasanna denied the allegations. Prasanna said that a mob had gone unruly and many of them were drunk.

Police said that riots broke out after a mob of over 500 people went to the Khar police station, asking the authorities to take immediate action against the offenders who defaced the pictures of Dr Babasaheb Anbedkar on a networking site.

The police promised to register a case and set into motion the procedure of pulling back the pictures and zeroing in on the culprit behind it. However, the mob blocked the road in the midnight and indulged in violence. 

“They pelted stones at the police, blocked the road for hours, burnt tyres and damaged at least 20 vehicles,” said Prasanna.

Five policemen were injured in the process, claimed the police. Apart from the police, platoons of riot control teams were posted at the spot to bring the situation under control.