Mumbai: Tension gripped Bandra's Garib Nagar area on the second day of the ongoing demolition drive after a mosque structure was razed during Western Railway's anti-encroachment operation. Residents expressed strong outrage and emotional reactions during the demolition of the mosque structure. As the drive was underway in Garib Nagar, angry residents staged protests at the site.
Locals allegedly also threw water and buckets at Mumbai Police personnel during the agitation. Following the chaos, Mumbai Police resorted to a lathi charge to control the situation.
The massive anti-encroachment drive began on Tuesday near Bandra railway station, days after the Bombay High Court allowed Western Railway (WR) to remove unauthorised structures in the area. On the first day, 18 per cent of 500 illegal huts were cleared.
Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek said that the five-day drive aims to free 5,300 square metres of land to clear the railway safety zone and facilitate future capacity augmentation projects. For the demolition drive, nearly 1,000 personnel have been deployed at the site, including around 400 Mumbai Police personnel, 400 members from the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and Government Railway Police (GRP), along with officials from various railway departments.
The drive came after the Bombay HC, in its May 5 order, permitted WR to continue the demolition drive. However, it also said that the rights of slum dwellers who were found eligible in the 2021 surveys must be protected.
The action is being carried out to clear railway land occupied by illegal structures. Heavy police deployment has been made, and security has been tightened in the area during the demolition process.
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