Do not cross

An assistant inspector of police on Saturday evening misfired his service weapon in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel.

Cop misfires near Taj Hotel

An assistant inspector of police on Saturday evening misfired his service weapon in the vicinity of the Taj Mahal Palace hotel,where Barack Obama and his wife,Michelle,are staying. Police officials clarified that it was an accident and happened outside the security ring of the hotel. Mumbai Commissioner of Police Sanjeev Dayal said the officer,Ajay Choudhari,was returning home after duty when there was some error in handling his weapon,leading to a bullet being misfired. He said Choudhari sustained an injury on his leg.

Missing names

At least two journalists from major media groups found themselves missing from the list of mediapersons permitted to enter the Taj Mahal Palace on Saturday morning. It turned out that while the Press Information Bureau had communicated with the Mumbai Police via e-mail,the latter had chosen to type a fresh list of those given security passes. Human error crept in,and some names didnt make it into the list. However,the PIB intervened,and the two journalists were permitted to enter.

Big Boss

While US Secret Service personnel and grim-faced handlers of sniffer dogs controlled the area in and around the Taj Mahal Palace,the Mumbai Police made it clear that they were the boss outside on some matters at least. A busload of Indian journalists headed to the Taj were attempting to enter a lane off the Colaba Causeway when they were stopped by a police picket. Deputy Commissioner of Police Traffic Nandkumar Chaugule directed the bus driver to go around the other side,but with other entries shut off too,the group eventually alighted and walked down the lane to the Taj.

Last-minute work

The BMC received flak for some last-minute work along Colaba Causeway. Two BMC machines were seen cleaning manholes outside Café Leopold and Delhi Darbar restaurant,barely an hour before Obamas convoy was to pass through. It is normal procedure for us to clean manholes along the route of a VIP visit as these can be potential security hazards, said BMC official A K Singh.

Angry Turkish

A Turkish national in his thirties was among the few who expressed their displeasure,after he was told by the police that all shops in Colaba were closed as part of security arrangements. The man apparently wanted a haircut. But when told that no shops were open,he created a ruckus,telling anybody who would stop to listen that he did not approve of the US Presidents policies.

Visitors gallery

But there were some who were not daunted by the security inconvenience. Like Ramila Chudasma who came with her son and daughter to watch the cavalcade near Mani Bhavan. We waved when the Clintons came. It was different then. Today we are pleased that we could see his cavalcade, she said. For Germans Kristina Eikie 30 and friend Carl Siedow 27,the experience was interesting. We parked at a lodge behind Taj. We wanted to visit Mani Bhavan but were asked for a passport at every stop. We then decided to wait and see the President,but we could not do that either as there was heavy security cover. At least we got a good cup of tea from an Indian familys house while we waited for this to get over, said Siedow.