Mumbai Police detained around 600 people on Saturday, including Shiv Sena UBT MLA Varun Sardesai, activist Tushar Gandhi, Kasturi Gandhi and actor Imran Khan, as security was tightened around a planned solidarity protest near August Kranti Maidan. The detentions took place before a gathering supporting the Cockroach Janata Party’s protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi.
Police detained protesters and activists near August Kranti Maidan and Hutatma Chowk. Workers of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi were also detained after a demonstration at Hutatma Chowk. The solidarity gathering at August Kranti Maidan had been planned for 3.30 pm, but police barricading prevented people from entering the area.
Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi and head of the civil society organisation Hum Bharat Ke Log, was picked up in Bandra while travelling towards the proposed gathering. According to a police officer, he was taken to DN Nagar police station. Gandhi said on social media that he had been arrested, while police maintained that he had been detained. Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray visited the police station in support of Gandhi.
Activist Feroze Mithiborwala was detained at his residence and taken to MIDC police station, according to the report. Several protesters, including senior citizens, were detained outside the maidan and taken to Gamdevi police station. Some protesters alleged that they were dragged into police vans and jeeps. Advocate Samya Korde, a Bombay High Court lawyer, was also among those detained.
The police action also affected people who were not part of the planned demonstration. Arun Kumar, a local resident, said he was stopped while returning from work and questioned before being allowed to proceed after family members came downstairs to establish that he lived in the area. Social worker Nishant Bangera alleged that minors, including girls, were being held at Gamdevi police station until their parents arrived. He also claimed that police had confiscated some protesters’ phones and had not returned them.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, South Zone 2, Ragasudha R, said no application seeking permission for the August Kranti Maidan protest had been submitted to Gamdevi police station. Senior police officers also said the maidan was not a designated protest venue, citing an order of the Bombay High Court. The police position places the incident within Mumbai’s broader system for regulating public demonstrations, where permission requirements, designated venues and crowd-control measures determine whether gatherings can proceed.
The VBA demonstration near Hutatma Chowk had been called by party chief Prakash Ambedkar in support of the CJP protest. The report did not specify how long the detainees were held or whether any criminal cases were registered. Police and organisers’ accounts also differed over whether some individuals had been arrested or merely detained.
