They attacked police party and civic staff conducting the drive at Jai Tuljabhawaninagar in Bibvewadi area.
The Sahakarnagar police on Wednesday arrested 17 activists belonging to various parties for attacking a police party and preventing civic employees from demolishing illegal residential structures in Jai Tuljabhawaninagar of Bibvewadi area.
PMC officials said the demolition drive was carried out against 65 illegal constructions at the Jai Tuljabhawaninagar slums at survey number 658 of Bibvewadi. A majority of the constructions were RCC structures with a total built up area of 2,100 square feet.
The activists belonged to the Republican Party of India (RPI), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and other political outfits. They were arrested under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and the Mumbai Police Act, 1951.
The police said that Republican Shramik Brigade president Mahesh Shinde, an RPI activist and the NCP’s women’s wing president, Shashikala Kumbhar, allegedly mobilised 200 local residents to prevent the civic officials from demolishing the illegal structures.
The mob attacked the police and the PMC’s anti-encroachment department officials and damaged public property valued at Rs15,000. However, Shinde and Kumbhar managed to escape from the spot.
The 17 suspects, who were produced in a city court, were granted magisterial custody.
The Sahakarnagar police station’s senior police inspector BG Bhosle told DNA, “On Wednesday morning, some people stopped the PMC authorities from demolishing illegal constructions in Jai Tuljabhawaninagar in Bibvewadi. Unidentified persons pelted stones at them. Following which, we resorted to mild lathi-charge on the mob and arrested 17 people.”
Deputy municipal commissioner and anti-encroachment incharge, Ramesh Shelar, and 50 employees from the department and civic staff from the Bibvewadi ward office carried out the drive.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}