Railway demolishes mosque in Mumbai; Police lathi charge protesters

Mumbai: Mumbai witnessed violent unrest after railway authorities demolished a mosque and hundreds of homes in the Garib Nagar slum area of Bandra East as part of a large-scale anti-encroachment drive ordered by the Bombay High Court. The demolition operation, launched on Tuesday, targeted around 500 allegedly illegal structures near the eastern side of Bandra railway station. Western Railway officials said nearly 60 per cent of the encroachments had already been cleared.

More than a thousand security personnel, including Railway Protection Force officers, Government Railway Police and nearly 400 Mumbai Police personnel, were deployed across the area amid fears of tension. The situation escalated sharply on Wednesday when authorities began demolishing a three-storey mosque and nearby structures, claiming they had been illegally built on railway land.

Large crowds from the Muslim community gathered at the site, accusing authorities of carrying out the demolition without prior notice or warning. Protesters alleged that families were thrown out of their homes and places of worship without adequate time to respond. Clashes soon broke out between residents and police personnel. Mumbai Police resorted to a lathi-charge to disperse protesters, with women also reportedly facing police violence during the crackdown.

Police officials claimed the force was used after some protesters allegedly hurled stones at security personnel. Fifteen people were arrested in connection with the unrest. However, videos circulating online appeared to show police assaulting even elderly residents. One widely shared clip allegedly showed an elderly woman being struck on the head during the operation, intensifying allegations of police brutality and inhuman treatment during the eviction drive.