Ahead of G20 meet, beggars, homeless in Nagpur asked to leave, ‘return after 2 months’: Report

It may be pertinent to note that the order comes days before the G20 meet is scheduled to take place in Nagpur

The Nagpur police last week issued an order prohibiting beggars from gathering at places like traffic junctions, footpaths, traffic islands and dividers in the city amid rising complaints of harassment of motorists and pedestrians.

The order was issued under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) which bans the gathering of four or more people in a particular area. As per the order issued by Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, the restrictions will be effective from March 9 till April 30 "unless withdrawn earlier by the issuing authority".

The order comes days before the G20 meet is scheduled to take place in Nagpur. As per an Indian Express report, many homeless residing in several pockets of the city said that officials asked them to leave the city citing the arrival of foreign dignitaries.

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“We were told that many ‘videshi’ will be visiting the city and so we must leave,” Priti Bhosale, a member of the Pardhi community, who was forced to leave Nagpur for Amravati, told the publication.

Priti lived with at least 10 other families at Yashwant Stadium for over three decades. She added that they were told that they could return after two months.

Speaking to the publication, Shahu Bhosale reiterated that officials told them that they could return in two months. He said that the community members did not have any access to jobs in the village and hence had migrated many years ago to earn a living. He added that the authorities told them that if they returned before the two months were up, they could face criminal action and would be sent to beggars’ homes.

Officials denied that the prohibitory order had any link to the G20 meet, the report added.

According to the order issues, apart from the inconvenience faced by vehicle users and walkers, there were also complaints of beggars obstructing the smooth flow of traffic and causing public nuisance, said officials.