On Wednesday, 20 May, tension gripped Mumbai’s Bandra East region after an anti-encroachment demolition drive in the Garib Nagar area turned violent, triggering clashes between the 'peaceful protestors' and police personnel. Several videos making the rounds on social media claimed that Islamists illegally residing in the area
pelted stones at the police, following which the authorities had to resort to a lathi charge.
As per the initial
reports, the Nirmal Nagar Police registered an FIR against 10 identified individuals and several others under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other relevant laws. Around 15 individuals have also been
arrested.
According to the FIR, the incident
occurred on May 20 near the Bandra East railway station, where authorities were conducting a demolition drive to remove illegal encroachments from railway land in compliance with court orders.
BJP leader Kirit Somaiya stated that several Bangladeshi infiltrators had been illegally living in the area by encroaching on the government land. Personnel from the Mumbai Police, Railway Protection Force, Home Guards, and civic agencies had been deployed at the site to monitor the operation. Officials stated that bulldozers had been operating in the locality for the third consecutive day as part of a large-scale anti-encroachment campaign.
As demolition work progressed, a crowd of around 100 to 150 residents reportedly gathered at the site to 'protest' the action. Police claimed repeated announcements were made urging people to disperse peacefully, but the situation escalated after some protesters attempted to stop the demolition drive. Videos also show that illegal encroachers pelted stones at the police.
The FIR further states that several people in the crowd raised slogans and allegedly tried to provoke unrest to disrupt the operation. During the ensuing chaos, stones and other objects were reportedly thrown at police personnel and officials, leaving multiple security staff injured. Police later used mild force to bring the situation under control and detained several individuals at the spot. Injured police personnel and security staff were subsequently given medical treatment.
Authorities have invoked charges related to unlawful assembly, rioting, assault on government officials, obstruction of public servants from carrying out their duties, and damage to public property. Officials said nearly 60 per cent of the illegal structures in the area have already been demolished. The ongoing operation aims to clear around 500 unauthorized shanties spread across approximately 5,200 square metres of railway land.
Police are now reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence to identify more individuals allegedly involved in the violence. Security deployment in the area has also been increased to avoid any further law-and-order issues.
Earlier, a similar incident was reported from Pune's Kondhwa region, where around 120-150 Muslims gathered on the streets and raised the slogans of 'Nara-e-Takbir, Allah-hu-Akhbar'. They also pelted stones at the Kondhwa Police station, injuring three of its officers. A detailed report regarding the same can be read
here.
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