Mumbai, Oct 10 — Political tensions in Mumbai on Saturday reached a boiling point on Saturday following the detention of prominent activist and Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, Tushar Gandhi, along with several other activists and opposition leaders.
The arrests preceded a planned protest at Mumbai's historic August Kranti Maidan, organised to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The developments have triggered fierce opposition backlash, with Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray slamming the government, declaring that the political climate has transformed into a direct battle between "BJP versus India." Tushar Gandhi was released after eight hours of detention.
Activists had called for widespread demonstrations at August Kranti Maidan. However, pre-emptive action by the Mumbai Police saw heavy deployment across the city and the detention of several youth leaders and protesters, including Abhijit and Saurabh. Around 9:30 AM to 10:00 AM, Tushar Gandhi was detained by police from the Bandra area and initially brought to the D N Nagar Police Station.
However, confusion and outrage ensued when leaders arrived to secure his release, only to be told he was no longer at the facility. The situation turned volatile as Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders—including MLA Aaditya Thackeray, MP Sanjay Raut, and MLC Anil Parab—rushed to the D N Nagar Police Station. Protesters gathered in large numbers outside the station, raising slogans such as "Vote Chor, Gaddi Chhod" ("Vote thief, leave the throne").
Police later clarified that Tushar Gandhi had been shifted to the Borivali Police Station. Officials eventually arranged a phone call between Aadhaar Thackeray and Tushar Gandhi to defuse tensions. After hours of detention, Tushar Gandhi was eventually released. The Borivali police later dropped Tushar Gandhi at his residence. He was released after being detained for a staggering 8 hours.
Addressing the media and rallying party workers, Aaditya Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the ruling dispensation, accusing them of trying to suppress the youth and peaceful dissent through authoritarian measures. "An emergency has been unofficially imposed. Why are they so afraid of the youth generation?" he asked. "Tushar Gandhi was planning a peaceful protest, but he was picked up beforehand. Patriotic citizens are being arrested. But change is inevitable."
Aaditya Thackeray announced a new strategy for the opposition alliance moving forward. "From today, our allied parties have decided that wherever someone is detained, we will go there. If even a single hair of our workers is touched, we will not sit quietly. Until the police released you, we vowed not to back down." Police presence remains heavy across key transit points and police stations in Mumbai as the situation continues to unfold.
Meanwhile, the repercussions of the protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi were witnessed across various districts in the state, including Solapur. On behalf of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), a torch rally was taken out in Solapur, where protesters raised vociferous slogans demanding the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. The torch rally marched from the Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar statue in Solapur up to the Zilla Parishad.
CPI(M) warned during the event, "A lathi charge is being carried out on Left party workers, and the CJP leadership is being arrested from an airplane; this is an undeclared emergency situation created in the country. Wherever the police try to stop us, protests will take place across the country." CPI(M) leader M A Shaikh also issued a warning, stating, "If Gyanesh Kumar is so dear to them, we will not rest without extracting the resignation of Modi and Shah as well."