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October 9, 2003

Police Reaction to Flash Mobs in Bombay

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Posted by Clay Shirky

After India's first Flash Mob, police are taking steps to make sure no more happen in Bombay, in light of crowd control rules put in place after the recent bomb attacks. I don't have a URL for this yet, so here's the wire copy:
BOMBAY, Oct 9 (AFP) - Flash mobs will not be seen again on the streets of the western Indian city of Bombay following a police crackdown on public gatherings, organisers said Thursday. A flash mob -- a group of people mobilised by email, who materialise in a public place and then fade away -- had appeared for the first time in the city outside a shopping mall on October 4. A group of 70 people, known as "mobsters," suddenly appeared, talked loudly about stock prices and danced for a few minutes outside the mall, disappearing before bystanders or security guards could react. The craze caught on in the United States earlier this year and Bombay organisers were planning more gatherings. But the police have introduced stricter security measures following a series of bomb blasts in the city, including two bombs on August 25 which killed 52 people and left more 150 injured. "Due to prohibitory orders in Bombay, there cannot be such large gatherings of people," said Bombay joint police commissioner Ahmad Javed. "Secondly, in case a group of people are meeting for a common cause, they have to take police permission." "There will be no more flash mobs in Bombay," said flash mob organiser Rohit Tikmany. He said a senior police officer had contacted him and asked him not to organise any further acts. "The police say that any gathering of more than five people needs prior police permission. This goes against the very concept of the flash mob." He said he was now supporting similar mob events in other cities, particularly the capital New Delhi and IT hub Bangalore. "Apart from these two cities, I am getting calls from practically every city in the country to support such flash mobs," he said. Tikmany said the mob gathering was coordinated over the Internet "to do a predetermined act that will shock people." "The key aspect of flash mob is that the participants are total strangers. We remain strangers at all times and then disappear immediately after the act. It's a yuppie, simple, fun act."

Comments (5) + TrackBacks (0) | Category: social software


COMMENTS

1. Dina Mehta on October 9, 2003 2:50 PM writes...

A pity really - i know some kids that were there - and they had a lot of fun and were so charged to take it on further....here's a first-hand account of the event - http://in.rediff.com/netguide/2003/oct/05flash.htm?zcc=rl

I do feel indians will find a way to circumvent police interference (as we are so adept at doing in many many instances) despite what the organiser says !


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2. adrian chan on October 9, 2003 4:13 PM writes...

This is hilarious. Here I've been thinking that flash mobs were a perfect example of a non-social gathering, seeing as they occur for no particular reason or purpose and don't seem to involve people connected by anthing more than a networking technology. Apparently not the view taken by the authorities! But then, when have the authorities displayed a sense of humor?!

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3. korkut ozgen on June 28, 2004 5:20 PM writes...

great

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4. hamide ersin on June 28, 2004 5:21 PM writes...

great and smart and cool

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5. gurkan on June 28, 2004 5:23 PM writes...

cool and smart

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