Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday dropped his plan to go to the Enforcement Directorate office here at the request of Mumbai police commissioner. Sanjay Barve, who rushed to meet Pawar, urged him 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.

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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.

(With additional information from IANS)