Second day of drive: Clashes break out at Bandra demolition drive as two mosques razed
Trouble began when residents gathered to oppose the demolition of the first mosque in the area.
Police carried out a lathi charge to disperse the crowd and clear the way for demolition teams. (Express photo by Nidhi Jacob) Clashes broke out at Garib Nagar in Bandra East on Wednesday during the second day of Western Railway’s anti-encroachment drive, after authorities demolished two mosques in the area along with other structures including houses that have been termed as encroachment. Police resorted to a lathi charge after protests escalated into stone pelting, leaving several residents and police personnel injured.
Trouble began when residents gathered to oppose the demolition of the first mosque in the area. Protestors allegedly hurled water and pillows at officials before the confrontation intensified into stone pelting. Police then carried out a lathi charge to disperse the crowd and clear the way for demolition teams.
A total of 10 persons including six police officers and four protesters were injured in the stone-pelting incident. Of these, six were admitted to the KB Bhabha General Hospital, where five people were discharged after treatment, while 49-year-old protestor Ansar Ali Baig remains in the hospital in stable condition. The remaining four police officers were treated at the V.N. Desai Hospital, with all but one being discharged.
The demolition began on May 19 and aims to clear 5,200 square metres of encroached railway land near Bandra East railway station. (Express photo by Nidhi Jacob)
“My 65-year-old mother suffered a cut below her eye after being attacked by the police,” alleged a resident, who was hurriedly shifting his belongings away from the demolition site as bulldozers continued operations nearby.
Termed as Western Railway’s biggest eviction drive so far, the demolition began on May 19 and aims to clear 5,200 square metres of encroached railway land near Bandra East railway station.
More than 1,200 personnel including 500 Mumbai Police officers, 200 Government Railway Police officials and 250 Railway Protection Force personnel along with technical staff and heavy machinery have been deployed for the operation.
Western Railway officials said nearly 60 per cent of around 500 illegal huts had been demolished as of Wednesday.
Following the clashes, police cordoned off the station road adjoining the demolition site, forcing passengers travelling to Bandra Terminus to walk with their luggage after being dropped at a distance by auto-rickshaws. Traffic congestion was also reported in the area.
Later in the day, authorities moved towards the Sunni Faizane Garib Nawaz Masjid, where residents again resisted demolition efforts. As bulldozers began razing portions of the structure, protestors raised slogans and allegedly hurled stones at officials and security personnel.
Police initially attempted to disperse the crowd, but the confrontation escalated further, with officials and protestors both reporting injuries. Ten police personnel reportedly sustained injuries, while several residents were hurt as well.
“Today some anti-social elements tried to indulge in stone pelting at the Garib Nagar demolition drive, prompting the police to use appropriate force to disperse them from the area. Accordingly, seven suspects have been taken into custody for fronting this violence and FIRs are being registered against them” said Abhinav Deshmukh, Additional Commissioner of Police (South region).
Police initially attempted to disperse the crowd, but the confrontation escalated further, with officials and protestors both reporting injuries. (Express photo by Nidhi Jacob)
The unrest spilled over into adjoining Behrampada, where several Garib Nagar residents had temporarily shifted. Protestors, commuters and bystanders were caught in the chaos as police attempted to clear the streets.
“I was walking in my neighbourhood when the police suddenly began beating everyone in sight. I picked up a two-year-old child abandoned nearby and brought him to safety,” said 55-year-old Hassan Quereshi, a retired factory worker, alleging indiscriminate use of force by police. In the area, fabric shop owner Shamsuddin said panic spread rapidly as residents rushed into shops seeking shelter from the police action unfolding outside.
Meanwhile, railway authorities maintained that adequate precautions had been taken before carrying out the demolition.
“We conducted a detailed assessment of multiple scenarios that could arise during the exercise, and manpower was deployed accordingly. Western Railway is ensuring that the operation is carried out with due consideration to all humanitarian concerns,” said Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer of Western Railway.
The land being cleared is earmarked for the proposed Integrated Bandra Railway Complex project, which railway authorities said would augment capacity at Bandra Terminus .
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