Maratha stir: Entry of protesters' vehicles blocked in Mumbai

Police have blocked all entry points of Mumbai in a bid to stop Maratha quota protesters from entering the city, where thousands of agitators have already gathered to support the stir led by activist Manoj Jarange, officials said on Tuesday.

More than 60,000 protesters and 7,000 vehicles entered the city on the first day of the Maratha quota agitation on August 29 at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, they said.

Nearly 5,000 vehicles of protesters were parked in south Mumbai on Tuesday, as per the police.


Instead of participating in the agitation at the venue Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, the protesters were seen occupying streets in the area and allegedly violating conditions laid down by authorities while granting permission for the stir.

With the stand-off over the quota issue continuing for the fifth day and more protesters likely to come to Mumbai, the police have blocked all entry points of the city, an official said.

Taking cognisance of the situation, all entry points leading to Mumbai, including Vashi, Airoli, Thane and Dahisar, have been blocked for the vehicles of Maratha protesters, he said.

Barricades have been placed at various entry points of the country's financial capital.

All heavy vehicles have been asked to stop before Mumbai's entry points till further orders, while all light vehicles, including cars, of the common public are being allowed to enter the city after checking, he said.

Emergency service vehicles are allowed in the city, he said.

As thousands of Maratha quota protesters gathered in south Mumbai, police were taking adequate precautions to avoid any law and order issue.

The police were making every effort to avoid any untoward incident in the city, the official said.

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday directed Jarange and his supporters to vacate Azad Maidan by 3 pm or face action.

Earlier in the day, the Mumbai Police issued a notice to Jarange and his team, asking them to vacate Azad Maidan at the earliest.