Premium

Video calls to Jarange, LED screens, online darshans: How Mumbai Police tried to handle the protesters

On the first day, when some protesters had stopped traffic for a few hours in south Mumbai near CST, the Zonal DCP Pravin Munde made a video call to Manoj Jarange-Patil who was fasting inside the Azad Maidan ground.

Written by: Mohamed Thaver, Manish Kumar Pathak

4 min readMumbaiSep 2, 2025 10:46 PM IST

On the first day, when some protesters had stopped traffic for a few hours in south Mumbai near CST, the Zonal DCP Pravin Munde made a video call to Manoj Jarange-Patil who was fasting inside the Azad Maidan ground. (PTI)

WITH EVERY passing day starting from Friday, the Mumbai Police learnt from what worked for them in handling protestors and refined their strategies to ensure that protestors did not throw life completely out of gear in Mumbai.

A source said the DCP told Patil that some of the protestors were becoming unruly and obstructing traffic which would give a bad name to the protest carried out by them.

“Jarange spoke to the protestors and told them not to do anything that would create trouble for the common man. When later they still did not seem to be willing, the officer told them ‘dadacha aikaicha nahin ka (will not even listen to Dada (Patil) who had led them in the protest,” an official said. The ploy finally worked, and traffic was allowed to move.

Taking a leaf out of the book and realising that protestors were unwilling to listen to anyone, but Jarange-Patil, senior officers then gathered video clips of his interview in which Jarange-Patil had requested protestors not to do anything that would inconvenience Mumbaikars. “These videos were then shown to protestors unwilling to listen to the police. On the third day, an LED screen was set up outside the BMC building from where these messages were displayed every time some protestors refused to listen to the police,” an official said.

“When things turn worse, we would contact Jarange who would then speak to the protestors. It was, however, not always possible to get in touch with him or if he was sleeping, we would then use the LED screen to show what he said in the past,” an official said. Maintaining traffic in south Mumbai was a challenge and at times all they could do was damage control, he added.

“In cases where traffic was beginning to pile up, we would rush to the rear end and ask vehicles to reverse and take another way so that the queues did not add up,” another official said. “Some protestors would refuse to listen to the police, and the officers had to use maximum restraint to ensure that there were no strong measures employed by them as there were fears that things could soon spiral out of control,” a senior official said.

Story continues below this ad

Nearly 1,500 police forces deployed on duty hardly got the time to sleep for a few hours. Two additional commissioners of police, 12 deputy commissioners of police, 350 senior officials and nearly 1,300 constables were deployed round-the-clock in south Mumbai to keep a watch on the protesters.

A sub inspector said, “I stay at Kalina and posted in south Mumbai, I would leave at night, go home to sleep for five hours and return again for the morning shift. I was still fortunate as some of our colleagues who reside in Badlapur would just go home to take a bath and return after sleeping for, like two hours. We would ask them to sit as much as possible knowing they have hardly rested and just caught some sleep on their train journey.” Others would go to the police chowki to take a bath and return to work.

Another outcome of the protest was that the cops who were on back-up for those providing bandobast at Lalbagcha Raja and other major pandals were deployed here. “Hence they could not go home at all. Some officers would just do darshan on a video call to their house and continue with their duty at Lalbaug,” said an officer.

Mohamed Thaver

Mohamed Thaver is a highly specialized journalist with the Expertise and Authority required to report on complex law enforcement and legal issues. With a career dedicated to the crime beat for over a decade, his work provides readers with informed and trustworthy insights into Maharashtra's security and justice systems. Experience & Authority Core Focus: Has been exclusively covering the crime beat for over a decade, building deep, specialized knowledge in the field. Geographical Authority: Currently focuses heavily on law enforcement and policy in Maharashtra, providing authoritative coverage of the state's security apparatus. Key Beats: Law Enforcement: Reports on the operations of the Maharashtra Police and the Mumbai Crime Branch. Policy & Administration: Covers the Maharashtra Home Department, focusing on policy matters related to handling law and order and the evolution of the police force. Judiciary: Has significant past experience covering the courts, giving him a comprehensive understanding of the entire criminal justice process from investigation to verdict. Specialized Interest (Cyber & Forensics): Demonstrates Expertise in modern investigative techniques, with a keen focus on cyber crime and forensics, reporting on how these technologies assist complex crime investigations. Content Focus: His reports revolve around police probes, the evolution of the force, and state policy, ensuring his content is highly relevant and detailed. Credentials & Trustworthiness Mohamed Thaver’s long-standing specialization in the crime beat—combined with his focus on technological aspects like cyber crime and his direct coverage of major institutions like the Mumbai Crime Branch and the Maharashtra Home Department—underscores his Trustworthiness and status as an expert source for detailed and reliable journalism on law and order. He tweets @thaver_mohamed ... Read More

Manish Kumar Pathak

Manish Kumar Pathak is a dedicated journalist reporting for The Indian Express from Mumbai. His work demonstrates substantial Expertise and Authority across the complex field of crime reporting, with a strong focus on law enforcement actions, fraud, and cyber security challenges facing the metropolitan region. Expertise & Authority Affiliation: Reports for the nationally recognized daily, The Indian Express, providing his content with high Trustworthiness. Geographical Focus: Provides comprehensive, ground-level coverage of breaking news and investigative matters across Mumbai and the surrounding regions (e.g., Thane, Vasai). Core Authority: His reporting portfolio highlights deep Expertise in crucial beats, including: Cyber & Financial Crime: Extensive coverage of sophisticated scams, including cases involving high-value cyber fraud, stock market manipulation scams, and fraudsters using government figures to gain trust. Law Enforcement & Investigation: Reports directly on major police actions, including arrests made by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in fraud cases (e.g., MHADA flat scams) and detailed coverage of murder and kidnapping investigations. Major Incidents & Public Safety: Covers significant incidents like building collapses, road accidents, and public safety issues such as theft at large public events. Defence & Maritime: Also covers key updates regarding the Indian Navy, including the commissioning of new vessels and strategic defense announcements. Manish Kumar Pathak's consistent focus on crime, fraud, and the workings of the Mumbai police system establishes him as a trusted and authoritative source for critical news in Western India. ... Read More

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Maharashtra

Loading Recommendations...

Mar 08: Latest News

Live Blog