Protests Grow Stonger In Mumbai On Second Day As Over 1,000 Gather At Shivaji Park; Police Book Over 900 Protesters Under 12 FIRs

Mumbai: The outcry over educational reforms escalated on its second day in Mumbai, culminating in a massive, peaceful demonstration at Dadar’s Shivaji Park and Dongri on Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, Mumbai police have booked around 900 people for participating in the unauthorised protests.

Mumbai youth echo Delhi's Jantar Mantar movement

Mumbai's youngsters have actively echoed the sentiments of Delhi's Jantar Mantar and are supporting the movement launched by Cockroach Janata Party to stage their protest against NEET paper leak. The protests became stronger on Tuesday following use of excess force by police against the protesters in Delhi on Monday.

Driven largely by viral Instagram campaigns, over a thousand citizens and students gathered in Dadar on Tuesday to protest against NEET paper leak, demand justice for the 21 NEET aspirants who died by suicide and to seek accountability from the government, defying the heavy police crackdown that had stifled the movement the previous day.

Hide-and-seek as venues shifted, police detain suspects

​What unfolded throughout Tuesday afternoon was a tense game of hide-and-seek between Mumbaikars and city police. Initially, demonstrations were slated for completely different venues. An early call to gather at Azad Maidan was quickly thwarted by heavy police bandobast, which was later shifted to Nariman Point but could not be materialised as the law enforcement was already on alert. According to protesters, police officers were seen preemptively detaining individuals who “looked like protesters” as sporadic groups waited on street corners for crowds to swell.

​However, the decentralised nature of the Instagram-driven movement made it impossible to entirely contain. By 5pm, the scattered groups had successfully redirected to Shivaji Park, where the crowd quickly swelled to over a thousand, vastly outnumbering the police personnel stationed in the area. Initially, the heavy police force made the participants hesitant to display their placards and engage in sloganeering but only until the number of protesters far outnumbered the police force.

Protester says Delhi crackdown compelled participation

One of the protesters at Shivaji Park, Faiz Abdulla, 30, said that participants took initiatives on their own and even interacted with the police when they were asked to vacate. “Until yesterday, I was asking people to not participate in any protest which did not have necessary permissions but after what happened with the students at Delhi on Monday, I could not stop myself from participating. I got to know about the protest through Instagram and I made an individual post asking people to join the gathering, which gained a lot of traction online.”

As loud sloganeering echoed across the park demanding justice for medical aspirants, volunteer lawyers remained on the ground, ready to offer legal aid to anyone facing detainment. ​Despite the sheer numbers and the lack of formal leadership, the standoff did not end in the aggressive crackdowns seen on Monday. Recognising that the protesters far outnumbered them, the police took a measured approach.

12 FIRs against 900 for violating prohibitory orders

However, the city police have registered 12 first information reports (FIR) against around 900 individuals for allegedly violating prohibitory orders, staging protests without permission and breaching law and order. Police said the protesters allegedly violated prohibitory orders and held demonstrations without obtaining prior permission. Investigations in all the cases are currently underway.

Around seven FIRs were registered late Monday night at Worli, Sion, Kalachowki, Bhoiwada, Dadar, Mahim and Wadala TT police stations. According to police sources, these cases have been consolidated for investigation at Shivaji Park police station. Earlier, five FIRs had been registered between July 18 and July 19 at Azad Maidan, Marine Drive and Shivaji Park police stations for violations of the prohibitory orders issued by the Commissioner of Police under the Maharashtra Police Act.

Over 600 booked at Shivaji Park; 100 at Mahim

The highest number of accused have been booked at Shivaji Park Police Station, where over 600 people have been booked. Simultaneously, around 100 people have been booked by Mahim police, 70 at Dadar and 40 have been booked at Sion. Additionally, Worli police booked 21 people, about 20 individuals have been booked by Kalachowki police, 20 at Bhoiwada and around 25 were booked by Wadala TT police station.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Mahendra Pandit said that on Monday, a group of protesters attempted to stage a demonstration at Chaitya Bhoomi without permission. As protests are prohibited at the site, a case was registered at Shivaji Park Police Station under Section 189 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 37(1)(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act against around 300 protesters for demonstrating in a restricted area without authorisation.

Five FIRs earlier invoked BNS, Police Act sections

The five FIRs registered earlier include three FIRs registered at Shivaji Park police station and one each at Azad Maidan and Marine Drive police stations. These cases invoked various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 126(2), 189(2), 189(3), and 223, along with Sections 37(1)(3) and 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act. Police said further investigation into all the FIRs is in progress.

On Tuesday, citizens spontaneously took charge of the protest at Shivaji Park, negotiated with the police and managed to continue the demonstration until around 6.30pm. Having registered their dissent, the protesters complied peacefully with the police's friendly request and dispersed from the location.

In Dongri, Shiv Sena UBT held a gathering to mourn the death of 21 students, who died by suicide following the NEET question paper getting leaked. Party workers gathered to pay tributes to those students and also protested against the brutal force of action used against protesters in Delhi on Monday.

A young participant, who is a health worker at a city-based hospital, spoke to The Free Press Journal on condition of anonymity. She said that she had come across an Instagram post of a demonstration happening at Azad Maidan but was met with heavy police force guarding the entrance. "I joined the protest in Shivaji Park on Sunday and today when I came to know about the gathering at Azad Maidan, I changed at the hospital and reached the spot. There were youngsters in small groups but the police were not allowing anyone to enter the ground," she said.

To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/