Mumbai Choked as Manoj Jarange Patil’s Maratha Morcha Floods South City, Traffic Collapses

Mumbai: Mumbai turned into a fortress of chaos on Friday as thousands of supporters of Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil stormed the city in a massive show of strength. The Maratha Kranti Morcha rally, marching towards Azad Maidan, paralysed South Mumbai with traffic bottlenecks stretching for miles, stranding commuters for hours.

The usually buzzing arterial roads around CSMT, Fort, Nariman Point and Colaba were reduced to a standstill as convoys of protesters poured in from across Maharashtra. The Eastern Freeway was completely blocked, while the newly built Coastal Road turned into a parking lot, with a traffic jam from Priyadarshini Park (PDP) to Nariman Point.

The Mumbai Traffic Police issued multiple desperate advisories urging people to avoid South Mumbai. One alert read: “Due to agitation at Azad Maidan avoid using freeway, please plan accordingly.” Another warned: “Due to political agitation, people are requested to avoid going towards CST and surrounding areas.” Despite these alerts, chaos only deepened as the day progressed.

Public transport was no better. BEST buses collapsed under the pressure of road closures, with the undertaking declaring on X that services had gone completely haywire: “No alternative routes are currently available for bus services. As a result, services are running irregularly.” Thousands of office-goers were left stranded at bus stops across the city.

Ground visuals painted a picture of a city under siege. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) and the surrounding Fort area were drowned in a sea of protesters waving placards and raising slogans. Roads were swamped, platforms were packed, and traffic inched at a snail’s pace, leaving South-Central Mumbai on the brink of collapse.

The disruption began early morning at Byculla, where police barricades blocked vehicles heading for the JJ Flyover. Convoys were forced towards Mohammad Ali Road, further burdening already congested lanes. On Thursday night itself, vehicles of Maratha supporters were stopped at Carnac Bridge and redirected to Wadi Bunder’s BPT premises, forcing protesters to continue their march to Azad Maidan on foot.

The timing of this massive mobilisation has left Mumbai Police grappling with an unprecedented law-and-order challenge. The agitation coincided with the opening days of Ganeshotsav, when lakhs throng pandals across the city, and with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit for Ganesh festivities, forcing the police to stretch manpower for both security and crowd control.

Leading the charge, Manoj Jarange Patil himself entered Mumbai with thousands of followers, intensifying the agitation and reaffirming his vow to launch an indefinite hunger strike during Ganeshotsav if the Maratha quota demand is not addressed.