Mumbai Ganesh Utsav Faces Protest Wave as Multiple Groups March on City

Mumbai's ten-day Ganesh Utsav, which begins on Monday, is set to unfold under an unusual shadow this year, with several groups announcing marches towards the city to press their demands before the Devendra Fadnavis government.

The most closely watched of these is Maratha leader Manoj Jarange Patil, who is currently on a hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district. He has warned that he will lead his supporters to Mumbai during the festival if the government does not meet his demands. Police are treating the threat seriously, recalling that Patil's protest last year paralysed South Mumbai for nearly three days. An official said the government is making every effort to placate him and avoid a repeat.

A second front is being organised by the Sakal Adivasi Vidyarthi Andolan, a coalition of tribal groups. Its demands include the safety of residential ashrams, improved hostel facilities, hygienic food and the resignation of certain officials. The coalition has said it will march to Mumbai between September 15 and 20.

Some Dhangar community groups have also planned demonstrations in the city. They are pressing for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list rather than their current classification as a Nomadic Tribe. Meanwhile, some Other Backward Classes groups that had planned a counter-protest against Patil's agitation have postponed their action for now.

For the Mumbai Police, the convergence of festival crowds and protest marches presents a twin challenge: managing the lakhs of devotees visiting pandals while simultaneously maintaining law and order across the city.