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Mumbai Police Detain IIT Bombay Student’s Parents, Protesters

By Drooid · Oct 19, 2026, 10:15 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Mumbai Police Detains Protesters

Mumbai Police detained IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode’s parents and several protesters on Oct 18, 2026.
Officers seized ten protesters at the Justice Corner site and later took sixteen more to Azad Maidan station.
Police demolished the protest structure near the main gate after the arrests.
Students alleged police brutality, saying clothes were torn and they were forced into a police van.

Summary

Organizers Admit Disarray

Fewer than fifty demonstrators gathered at Azad Maidan despite police permission for a full-day rally.
Organizers admitted protest lacked coordination and CJP’s Instagram gave no advance notice.
Leaders Samya Kore, Aamir Kazi and Anjali Damania demanded CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation.
Activist Ali Bhojani urged the Bombay High Court to allocate additional protest sites across Mumbai.
Protesters called for withdrawing the Revision of electoral rolls and swapping EVMs for paper ballots.

History

Historical Context

The 2026 Mumbai Police raid on IIT-Bombay student Sahil Wakode’s parents at Azad Maidan echoes earlier forceful dispersals of anti-corruption rallies, notably the June 5 2011 police action that deployed about 5,000 officers against Swami Ramdev’s protest at Ramlila Maidan, and Anna Hazare’s 5 April 2011 hunger strike that sparked nationwide demonstrations. These episodes illustrate a recurring pattern of state resistance to mass civic movements in India.

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Mumbai Police Detains Protesters

Mumbai Police detained IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode’s parents and several protesters on Oct 18, 2026.
Officers seized ten protesters at the Justice Corner site and later took sixteen more to Azad Maidan station.
Police demolished the protest structure near the main gate after the arrests.
Students alleged police brutality, saying clothes were torn and they were forced into a police van.

1 / 3