Tension prevails in Maharashtra secretariat

Mumbai: There was tension in premises of Mantralaya after Thursday’s incident of suicide. The police personnel were deployed every 50 feet, either in civil clothes or uniform. They questioned visitors and checked their passes. The atmosphere at Mantralaya was normal, but the tension over the administration and security was visible.

Harshal Raote committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor in Mantralaya on Thursday evening. Raote’s suicide came just days after Dharma Patil, an 84-year-old farmer from Dhule district consumed poison in Mantralaya to end his life.

The police has tightened the security on every floor of the building. Visitors were repeatedly asked to show their passes. Suraj Chavan, a resident of Thane who visits Mantralaya for his work in public work department (PWD) said, “The police is asking people about the reason for their visit. The police personnel are asking people to display their passes. It is a good decision. We can see that after the incident, they are more alert.”

As it was Friday, the number of visitors were fewer as compared to other days. Usually, a large number of people form across the state visit Mantralaya on first three working days of a week. On the day of Cabinet meeting which generally takes place on Tuesday, a larger number of visitors come for their work. There is fear among Mantralaya security staff that the number of incidents could increase in future.