Residents of Bhiwandi near Mumbai on Wednesday felicitated a police officer for the force’s deft handling of a huge protest march against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act last week.

Deputy commissioner of police Rajkumar Shinde was felicitated in the traditional Maharashtrian way, with the gift of a shawl and a “shri-fal” (coconut).

Bhiwandi, a hub of the powerloom industry in Thane, is considered communally sensitive and had witnessed major riots in the 1970s and 1980s.

Nearly one lakh people hit the streets last Friday and took part in a protest march against the citizenship law and the proposed NRC. The protest passed off peacefully, ending after a memorandum was submitted to the local authorities.

A large number of Muslim women participated in the felicitation on Wednesday. Some of them spoke on the occasion, praising Shinde and the police force.

Shinde told reporters the police were receiving praise on social media too. Many have thanked the state police for the handling of the protests in Mumbai and elsewhere and drawn parallels with their Delhi counterparts who have faced criticism for dealing with the agitation with an iron hand.

Police officers, he said, meticulously planned security arrangements and used drones, CCTV cameras and public address systems to manage the crowds. Officials communicated with the protesters, assuring them that they would get full cooperation, he said.

Shinde thanked the people for maintaining peace.