Mumbai Police Detain Left Leaders to Thwart Palestine Solidarity Protest at Azad Maidan

Mumbai: Responding to a nationwide call by Left parties to protest the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, activists and leaders from various Left and democratic organizations in Mumbai attempted to organize a solidarity demonstration at Azad Maidan yesterday on June 18, 2025. The Mumbai Police, however, carried out widespread detentions from early morning to prevent the action from taking place.

Leaders of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], the Communist Party of India (CPI), Samajwadi Party (SP), CPI(ML), Peasants and Workers Party (PWP), and other organizations were picked up from their homes and party offices across the city. The CPI(M)’s Bhandup office was surrounded by police before dawn, leading to the detention of Hari Ghadge, Shailendra Chauhan, and Tabrez Ali—all members of the CPI(M) Mumbai District Committee. They were held at Powai Police Station.

CPI leaders Prakash Reddy and Charul Joshi, PWP’s Raju Korde, and anti-Adani activists from Dharavi were also detained. Other individuals detained included Meraj Siddiqui, State Secretary of the Samajwadi Party, Shyam Gohil of the CPI(ML), and Firoz Mithiborwala of the Indian People’s Solidarity Front (IPSF). Several other activists were prevented from reaching Azad Maidan.

Despite the heavy police deployment and arrests, around 100 activists managed to gather under the banner of the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) near the Mumbai Marathi Patrakar Sangh and Press Club, adjacent to Azad Maidan. The protest began at 3:30 PM as scheduled.

Leaders and participants raised slogans including “Palestine Bharat Maitri Zindabad,” “Stop the Genocide in Gaza,” and “Israel ka Narsanhar Band Karo.” The peaceful demonstration continued for about 30 minutes, after which all activists present were arrested and taken to Yellow Gate Police Station.

The CPI(M) Maharashtra State Committee condemned the detentions as an act of political repression. In a statement issued after the arrests, the party accused the Maharashtra government, led by the BJP and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, of violating constitutional rights and suppressing dissent.

The party pointed out that Azad Maidan is a designated protest site under orders of the Bombay High Court and stated that the police action amounted to contempt of court. It further alleged that the repression is linked to the state government’s efforts to push the pending Maharashtra Public Security Bill.

The protest was led by CPI(M) and AIPSO leaders including Dr Vivek Monteiro, Shailendra Kamble, Dr S.K. Rege, Adv Armaity Irani, Chandrakant Bhojgar, Sugandhi Francis, Rekha Deshpande, and Sangita Kamble, among others.

The CPI(M) has stated that it will continue to resist attempts to curtail democratic rights and will intensify efforts to build solidarity with the Palestinian people.