The Police Commissioner of Mumbai, A.N. Roy, has issued a circular to all police stations and other establishments within his Commissionerate not to give any information to journalists.
As stunned crime reporters sought a meeting with the Deputy Chief Minister, R.R. Patil, the Opposition Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party assailed the Police Commissioner for taking a dictatorial step that would "shame even Hitler."
The BJP leader, Gopinath Munde, raised the matter in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He said that Mr. Roy had ordered all police stations not to allow journalists in and not to give them any information.
Mr. Munde said the citizens had the right to information but the Police Commissioner's circular violated it. He described the step as "nothing but censorship" and said that the Police Commissioner should concentrate on reducing the crime rate in Mumbai instead. He said the Crime Reporters' Association had met him and handed over a memorandum.
