Mumbai's 'Occupy Gateway' protests called off
January 07, 2020 10:58
Mumbaikars protesting the JNU violence at Gateway of India have called off the protests. Kapil Agarwal, a protester, said, "We were forcibly shifted Azad Maidan by the police. But now we have called off our 'Occupy Gateway of India' protests. It was a successful protest. Our resistance will continue, we have a long line up of programs."
People protesting against the JNU violence were evicted from Gateway of India in south Mumbai on Tuesday morning as roads were getting blocked and tourists and common people were facing problems, a police official said. Police had appealed to protesters to shift but they didn't listen, so they were "relocated" to Azad Maidan near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, the official said.
"As the demonstration was posing problems for tourists and in traffic movement, we requested the protesters to move to Azad Maidan. But some groups did not listen despite our repeated request, so we relocated them to the Azad Maidan," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) Sangramsingh Nishandar said.
Earlier, hundreds of people, including students, women and senior citizens - who assembled at the iconic Gateway of India since Sunday midnight - demanded action against those behind the JNU violence and resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Interestingly, the name 'Occupy Gateway of India' is a hat tip to the Occupy Wall Street protests of September 2011, where New Yorkers raised issues of social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the undue influence of corporations on government -- particularly from the financial services sector.
Image: A protester at the Gateway of India last night.
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