Some of the vehicles procured by the Mumbai Police earlier this year under the Nirbhaya Fund to fight crime against women are being used for providing Y-plus security to the MLAs and MPs of the Shiv Sena faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, news agency PTI reported on Sunday citing some police sources. 


Using the Rs 30 crore corpus it had received from the Nirbhaya fund, the city police department purchased 220 Boleros, 35 Ertigas, 313 Pulsar motorbikes, and 200 Activa two-wheelers in June of this year.


Since 2013, the Center has provided the state governments with the Nirbhaya Fund to implement programmes linked to women's protection.


"After the vehicles were procured in June, they were distributed to all 97 police stations, cyber, traffic, and coastal police units in July," the official was quoted as saying by PTI. 


"Of these vehicles, 47 Boleros were requisitioned from several police stations by the Motor Transport Department of the Mumbai Police following an order from the VIP Security section of the state police stating that they are required for use as an escort vehicle for MPs and MLAs of the Shinde faction to provide Y-Plus security cover to them," he added.


However, 17 of the vehicles which were used for the security of these lawmakers were returned to police stations after the requirement was fulfilled, according to the official.


Opposition Slams Government: 


The opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress, and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) launched an attack on the Shinde-led government in response to the development, questioning whether the safety of the governing legislators was more essential than safeguarding women.


Sachin Sawant, a spokesperson for the Maharashtra Congress, attacked the state government "Is protecting women from assault more essential than ensuring the safety of the ruling MLAs? The utilisation of the Nirbhaya Fund, which is intended for the Maharashtrian Nirbhayas, for the security of MLAs is abhorrent and obscene." 


According to NCP spokesman Clyde Crasto, "SUVs bought with Nirbhaya Fund diverted to provide Y-plus security to Shinde legislators. Shameful misuse of power by the Shinde-Fadnavis government. Eknath Shinde's legislators must hang their heads in shame." 


"It is shocking that vehicles procured for helping the police to carry out their duties of protecting women are being misused for the protection of the breakaway MLAs," Jayant Patil, president of the NCP's Maharashtra unit said, PTI reported. 


"If people are with you, what do you fear?" he asked.


Patil asked that the vehicles be returned to their respective police stations and said that women's safety came before that of the rebel parliamentarians.


The Shiv Sena (UBT) asserted forcefully that the Shinde dispensation will have to deal with demonstrations if the vehicles were not used for the intended purpose.


(With Inputs From PTI)