Mumbai witnessed severe traffic snarls and tight security arrangements on May 15 after hundreds of mango and cashew cultivators from the Konkan region attempted to march towards Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ official residence, Varsha Bungalow. Police deployed a massive security force across the northbound stretch of Marine Drive, setting up several checkpoints from the Princess Street Flyover to Charni Road railway station to stop protesters from advancing further. Vehicular movement in the area was badly affected as barricades, police vans, and security personnel occupied important routes. Commuters faced long delays while authorities monitored the developing situation closely amid fears of escalating tensions in south Mumbai.
As a precautionary measure, authorities completely cleared Girgaon Chowpatty and increased police deployment on surrounding roads to prevent any untoward incident. Senior police officers remained stationed at multiple locations as large groups of farmers gathered to demand higher compensation for crop losses caused by unseasonal rainfall in Konkan. The protesters claimed the government’s announced relief amount of Rs 22,000 was far too low considering the widespread destruction suffered by mango and cashew growers this season. Police also detained several prominent leaders participating in the protest, including farmer leader Raju Shetty, Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal, Shekap leader Jayant Patil and former Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut.
The protesters had planned to march from Girgaon Chowpatty to Varsha Bungalow to personally submit their demands to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, police intervened and stopped the crowd before the rally could proceed towards the Chief Minister’s residence. Authorities had reportedly advised organisers to hold their agitation at Azad Maidan instead, but the demonstrators insisted on continuing the march towards Varsha. This led to tense moments and heated exchanges between protesters and police personnel at several barricaded points. Security remained on high alert throughout the day as officials worked to maintain law and order in the area.