Mumbai Police chief urges Pawar not to visit ED office

 Mumbai Police Commissioner Sanjay Barve rushed to meet and convince Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar not to visit the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office here on Friday afternoon.

Barve urged Pawar not to violate the prohibitory orders clamped there since Thursday night, as there could be a law and order problem, disclosed NCP National Secretary Jitendra Awhad.

The police chief's move came after other senior police officials, including Joint Police Commissioner V.K. Choubey met Pawar to cajole him from going to the ED office, apprehending potential law and order crisis.

Since Thursday night, the south Mumbai area has been converted into a veritable fortress with the deployment of over 1,500 personnel, restrictions, road blocks and prohibitory orders.

Even the NCP officials and workers are not allowed to enter their office which is located in the Ballard Pier vicinity, said Mumbai party chief Nawab Malik.

Despite an appeal by Pawar on Thursday, thousands of NCP workers and leaders have arrived from all over Mumbai and surroundings to express solidarity with him as he prepared to go to the ED office on Friday.IANS