Tension and violence were reported in Mumbai’s Bandra area on Wednesday after protests broke out during a demolition drive targeting unauthorised structures near the railway station. According to reports, unrest erupted in the Garib Nagar locality when a mosque structure was demolished as part of an anti-encroachment operation being conducted by Western Railway following permission granted by the Bombay High Court.

Residents of the area reportedly gathered at the site and protested against the demolition while the operation was underway. Visuals and local reports indicated that some protesters allegedly threw buckets of water at police personnel deployed in the area. The situation later escalated into clashes between locals and security personnel, prompting the police to use a lathi charge to disperse the crowd and restore order. Authorities maintained a heavy security presence throughout the operation amid fears of further unrest.

The anti-encroachment campaign began on Tuesday after the Bombay High Court permitted Western Railway to remove illegal structures located near Bandra railway station. Railway officials stated that the operation aims to clear approximately 5,300 square metres of railway land to improve safety conditions and facilitate future railway capacity expansion projects. Officials also said that nearly 18 percent of around 500 unauthorised hutments identified in the area had been cleared during the first day of the demolition drive.

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According to Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek, the five-day demolition campaign is part of a larger plan to eliminate encroachments from railway land and remove structures falling within the railway safety zone. Authorities have deployed nearly 1,000 personnel for the operation, including officers from the Mumbai Police, the Government Railway Police, and the Railway Protection Force, along with railway officials and administrative staff.

The High Court order issued on May 5 had permitted Western Railway to proceed with the demolition campaign while also directing authorities to safeguard the rights of slum residents found eligible under the 2021 rehabilitation surveys. Officials said the operation was being carried out in accordance with the court’s directions and with security arrangements in place to prevent law and order issues during the clearance process.

The demolition drive has drawn attention due to the scale of the operation and the tensions surrounding the removal of religious and residential structures in densely populated urban areas. Railway authorities have maintained that the action is necessary to ensure passenger safety, prevent encroachments on railway property, and enable infrastructure development projects in Mumbai’s suburban railway network. Security forces continued to remain deployed in the area on Wednesday evening as officials monitored the situation closely.

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