Mumbai: Authorities have taken 19 individuals into custody in connection with stone-pelting and related violence during the ongoing anti-encroachment operation at Garib Nagar in Bandra East, as the drive entered its fourth day on Friday with nearly 90 per cent of the work completed, according to Western Railway officials.
Fifteen of the accused were produced before the Bandra court on Thursday and remanded to police custody until May 26. Three more are expected to appear in court on Friday, while a detained minor has been sent to the Children’s Remand Home. Police sources indicated that investigations are continuing and further arrests cannot be ruled out.
The tensions surfaced earlier this week when the demolition of alleged illegal structures near Bandra Terminus triggered clashes, resulting in stone-pelting incidents and injuries to several police personnel. Cases have been registered against more than 100 individuals in the matter.
The large-scale operation, a joint effort by Western Railway, Mumbai Police, civic authorities, and railway security forces, continued on Friday with heavy security deployment to maintain order. Western Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Vineet Abhishek noted that adequate arrangements were in place to carry out the drive safely and efficiently.
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By the end of the third day, approximately 90 per cent of the demolition work had been finished. Officials described Thursday’s proceedings as peaceful in comparison to the unrest witnessed on Wednesday. The operation deployed around 1,100 personnel and 13 machines on that day, marking it as one of Western Railway’s most significant anti-encroachment actions in recent times.
Focus has now shifted to removing softer structures and upper portions constructed above eligible hutments, while taking care not to disturb ground-floor sections meant for rehabilitation. Debris clearance operations are proceeding round-the-clock, with work continuing through the night.
The main demolition phase is expected to conclude by May 23, after which a smaller team will remain on site for final clearance and fencing to prevent new encroachments on railway land.
This development comes amid the broader push to reclaim railway property in the densely populated Mumbai suburban area
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