Mumbai, Jan 29 (IANS): The Mumbai Police have refused permission to the annual Queer Azadi Mumbai Pride 2020 scheduled for February 1 on grounds that they may carry anti-government and CAA/NRC/NPR placards, an activist said here on Wednesday.

The organisers have been informed in writing that the clearance is not given as they have information that placards and slogans criticising the government and the CAA/NRC/NPR may be raised at the event.

The letter from the Gamdevi police station's Senior Inspector Rajendra Mohite says prohibitory orders are in place in entire Greater Mumbai from January 23 to February 6, banning assembly of five or more persons.

The procession and subsequent rally was expected to be held at the historic August Kranti Maidan in which over 15,000 LGBTQIA community would join.

Now, the organisers are planning to conduct the march to Azad Maidan, but the status of police permission for the new venue is not yet available, according to one of the organisers, Harish Iyer of the Humsafar Trust, Mumbai.

"In view of the denial of permission, we are presently consulting amongst our various constituents on the next steps," Iyer told IANS.

The first such procession was held in February 2019 to celebrate the Supreme Court verdict which decriminalized Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, said Iyer.

Last year's event had attracted several Bollywood personalities, celebrities from different fields, foreigners and representatives of various NGOs and groups working for the LGBTQIA communities.