Mumbai Gridlocked as Maratha Protestors Lay Siege to Azad Maidan, Police Criticized for Inaction

Mumbai: The heart of India’s financial capital was thrown into chaos on Friday as thousands of Maratha protestors, rallying for reservation in education and government jobs, brought traffic and daily life to a standstill. With protestors taking control of key streets and converging near Azad Maidan, serious questions are being raised about the Mumbai Police’s response—or lack thereof.

Residents expressed shock at what appeared to be near-complete lawlessness in South Mumbai. Vehicles were blocked in front of Anjuman-i-Islam school on DN Road, while motorists were forced to reverse or abandon their routes. Hundreds of buses and private vehicles used to ferry protestors from rural Maharashtra clogged arterial roads. Eyewitnesses reported that BEST buses were commandeered near CST, with passengers asked to alight as protestors forced drivers to ferry them towards Mantralaya, the state’s power centre.

Protestors, many wearing saffron scarves, reportedly moved towards Mantralaya from multiple routes in what appeared to be a coordinated attempt to gherao the complex. Sporadic rasta rokos were staged across the city, including outside the Bombay High Court, with little to no police intervention visible.

At Azad Maidan, Maratha quota leader Manoj Jarange Patil continued his indefinite fast, as his restless supporters swelled in numbers. The state government, led by the Mahayuti alliance, seemed paralysed, caught between backing from its own Maratha leaders and pressure from OBC groups threatening counter-agitations.

The Congress, meanwhile, has renewed its demand for lifting the 50% cap on reservations imposed by the Supreme Court, but experts caution that such a move could trigger legal and political turmoil.