On the second day of the ongoing demolition campaign in Mumbai, tension erupted in Bandra's Garib Nagar neighbourhood after a mosque building was destroyed as part of Western Railway's anti-encroachment operation.
When the mosque building was being demolished, locals reacted angrily and with outrage, reported FPJ. Angry locals in Garib Nagar held protests at the location while the drive was in progress.
During the disturbance, locals reportedly flung buckets of water at Mumbai Police officers. The police used lathi charge to put an end to the mayhem. Another image depicted the situation getting worse as there was a significant altercation between the residents and the cops.
ALSO READ | HSBC Mulls Deep Job Cuts From Multiyear AI-Fueled Overhaul
Days after the Bombay High Court permitted Western Railway (WR) to demolish unapproved structures in the vicinity, a huge anti-encroachment campaign started on Tuesday, close to Bandra railway station. Out of 500 illegal huts, 18% were cleared on the first day.
Bandra | वांद्रे स्टेशन परिसरात अतिक्रमण हटाव कारवाईला विरोध, पोलिसांवर हल्ल्याचा प्रयत्न; पाहा व्हिडिओ | NDTV मराठी#BandraEast #mumbaidemolition #bulldozer #BMCAction #MumbaiLocalNews #EncroachmentRemoval #MumbaiDevelopment #ndtvmarathi pic.twitter.com/fnQwWAXelI
— NDTV Marathi (@NDTVMarathi) May 20, 2026
The five-day campaign, according to Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek, intends to liberate 5,300 square meters of land in order to remove the railway safety zone and enable upcoming capacity augmentation projects.
Nearly 1,000 people have been sent to the site for the demolition effort, including about 400 Mumbai Police officers, 400 members of the Government Railway Police (GRP) and Railway Protection Force (RPF), and representatives from several railway ministries, as per the reports.
ALSO READ | Madhya Pradesh Sees Highest Forest Encroachment In India—Check Where Other States Stand
The drive began after WR was given permission to carry out the demolition campaign by the Bombay High Court in an order dated May 5. It did, however, also state that the rights of slum inhabitants who qualified for the 2021 surveys had to be upheld.
The purpose of the action is to remove unlawful constructions from railway land. Throughout the demolition process, there has been a significant police presence and increased security.
Essential Business Intelligence, Continuous LIVE TV, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.
