There have been disruptions and snarls of many kinds in the heart of south Mumbai over the weekend, as thousands of protestors, demanding reservation for the Maratha community led by activist Manoj Jarange-Patil on a hunger fast at Azad Maidan, took over roads and pavements leading to shutdowns. The debate on the quota aside, especially as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis affirmed that the reservation was granted but would have to fit into constitutional norms, there are hard questions about the nature of this protest in which Patil demands that all Marathas are considered Kunbis, its part-occupation of south Mumbai, and its temporal quality adding to the city’s chaos. To what extent can a mass agitation take over parts of a city like Mumbai?
To be sure, protestors have a right to use city spaces, leaning into the famous French sociologist Henri Lefebvre, who formalised people’s Right to the City in the 1960s. And there has been a steady shrinking of protest spaces in Mumbai over the past two decades. From protestors taking over the precincts of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus-Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation down the heritage DN Road to the iconic Hutatma Chowk and Kala Ghoda, and finally to Mantralaya till the 2000s, they have been lately confined to sections of Azad Maidan. This is where Jarange-Patil and his supporters gave themselves a headquarters.
However, as in any mass agitation, there was a considerable spillover with the trucks and tempos—some turned into makeshift sleeping spaces, others carrying kitchen supplies and food—taking over large areas around the CSMT-BMC area, forcing the closure of arterial roads, and causing endless congestion on connector streets. Some apprehensive shop owners closed their outlets in the area; for street vendors, it meant a loss of income too. The BMC’s arrangements for water and sanitation have been predictably criticized, but the fact remains that the civic body made the provisions. Workers of various political parties also pitched in with food and water.
This circles back to the question of drawing the line between mass agitation as a legitimate method and the rights of people who live or work in that space. It also raises questions about the responsibilities of the organisers of mass protests and what they allow their followers to do. The Maratha protestors have been largely disciplined and have treated their time in Mumbai to also sightsee or shop. But if large numbers of protestors put brakes on the daily rhythms of Mumbai, then the organisers would have to be held responsible. The BMC and Mumbai Police, too, are responsible for making alternative arrangements. While protests are legitimate political action in a democracy, they cannot wantonly disrupt the lives of lakhs in the city. As for the state government, it shouldn’t have given permission for the protest in the first place at a time when the Ganpati festival is in full swing.
