Undertaken by Western Railway, the large-scale encroachment drive in the Garib Nagar slum of Mumbai’s Bandra region to clear the government land from illegal occupation is going on in full steam, with the city police intensifying their drive to identify, track and nab the violent protesters who pelted stones to derail the process.
Providing an update on the demolition drive on social media, the Western Railway said that the operation to reclaim the illegally occupied land for future railway development is going on smoothly.
“On-ground debris clearance continues as vital Railway land is reclaimed. With the demolition drive continuing near Bandra station, debris clearance is progressing simultaneously,” it said, besides sharing images and videos of the demolition drive.
On-ground debris clearance continues as vital Railway land is reclaimed 🚉
With the demolition drive continuing near Bandra station, debris clearance is progressing simultaneously as illegally occupied Railway land is being systematically reclaimed for future railway… pic.twitter.com/3PB4yi0rOG
— Western Railway (@WesternRly) May 22, 2026
Also, the Mumbai Police has stepped up action against violent protesters and arrested one more accused, taking the total number to 19, IANS reported.
There are several other individuals who remain under the scanner for pelting stones at the police during the demolition drive. The police officials are ascertaining their role in the violent stir via CCTV footage.
So far, 19 miscreants have been taken into custody for taking advantage of the crowd to inflict violence on the police, while more arrests are expected in the coming days.
Out of them, one accused is a minor and was sent to a children’s remand home.
Moreover, three of them are set to be produced in court on Friday and 16 have already been remanded into police custody till May 26.
Notably, the demolition drive is being carried out in Garib Nagar, near the Western Railway network, to free more than 5,000 metres of government land from illegal occupation. Initially, it faced major opposition on May 20 when a group assembled and objected to the demolition of a religious structure.
When the crowd turned unruly and started hurling stones at the police, officials resorted to baton-charging to disperse the mob.
Also, violence erupted on the second day of the demolition drive as the crowd allegedly turned aggressive and started pelting stones at the demolition squad and police personnel deployed at the site.
Officials have said that more than 60 per cent of the Railway land has been freed up so far by demolishing and removing the illegally built structures.