Mumbai: More than 2,000 workers, hawkers, construction workers, domestic workers and women employees took part in a city-wide Jail Bharo agitation on Monday, organised by central trade unions and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha. The protests were led in Mumbai by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) to oppose what the unions described as anti-worker and anti-farmer policies of the government.

The nationwide protest call was observed on August 10, with demonstrations and arrests reported from several parts of Mumbai, including Andheri, Malad East, Goregaon West, Mankhurd, Bhandup and Dadar-Hindmata. Around 300 protesters were detained during the agitation and were later released after their names were recorded.

The Janwadi Hawkers Sabha (CITU) and Construction Naka Workers’ Union (CITU) mobilised hundreds of hawkers and construction workers for the agitation.

In Andheri, the protest began with a rally from the party office and saw the participation of more than 300 hawkers, construction workers, sanitation workers, women and party activists. Police stopped the rally on S.V. Road, following which several protesters were detained.

The protest was led by CITU district president K. Narayanan, party taluka secretary Chandrakant Bojgar, along with Kamal Rawat, Ruhul Amin, Mehboob Patel, Anju Dave, Madhuri Bojgar, Anthony Gabriel, Narasimha Upari and Mukesh Sharma.

In Malad East’s Daftary Road area, more than 400 hawkers and over 40 construction workers joined the protest after keeping their businesses shut. Speakers criticised government policies concerning farmers, workers, hawkers and construction labourers.

The agitation was led by party district secretary Shailendra Kamble, along with Rajesh Arya, Jamunaprasad Gupta, Kalpnath Bhagat, Rajendra Jadhav, Pramod Gupta, Ravindra Avghade, Lali Gupta, Bunty Jaiswal, Mayuri Nadkar and Dinesh Gupta.

The protesters also met the Assistant Commissioner of the P-East Ward and discussed various demands concerning hawkers.

At Ratna Hotel Chowk on S.V. Road in Goregaon West, around 80-90 hawkers staged demonstrations for nearly an hour before turning the protest into a Jail Bharo agitation. Seventy-one hawkers courted arrest.

The programme was conducted by branch vice-president Chhabinath Yadav, while branch secretary and Town Vending Committee member Haricharan Chauhan addressed the protesters.

Among the key demands raised were the withdrawal of the four labour codes, guaranteed remunerative prices for agricultural produce, an end to privatisation of education and healthcare, and effective implementation of the Street Vendors Act.

At Maharashtra Nagar in Mankhurd, more than 200 hawkers, Anganwadi workers, domestic workers and ASHA workers participated in the agitation. Except for around 10 men, the gathering was largely composed of women.

The protest was led by Armighty Irani, Vasant Khandare, Rekha Deshpande and Sangeeta Kamble. Protesters were detained and taken to Trombay police station.

In Bhandup, two rallies were taken out from the Sangharsh office and the CEAT company premises, converging at Bhandup railway station. More than 250 workers participated.

The gathering was addressed by Dr. Vivek Montero, Syed Ahmed, Dr. S.K. Rege, Sugandhi Francis and Shailendra Chauhan. K.R. Raghu, Hemkant Samant, P.M. Vartak and Sangeeta Sonawane were among those present.

A joint agitation was also held at Dadar-Hindmata, where around 30-35 hawkers participated. The protest was led by Sonya Gill, Trishila Kamble, Pramila Manjalkar and Ramlakhan.

The Mumbai-wide agitation highlighted demands concerning workers, farmers, hawkers and other sections of the unorganised workforce. Trade union leaders warned that the protests would be intensified if their demands were not addressed.