After the Delhi crackdown on 20 July 2026, students in Mumbai and Nagpur held protests in support of the Cockroach Janta Party and to demand Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation. Mumbai Police detained hundreds before and during gatherings at Chaityabhoomi, Shivaji Park and Chembur, registered 13 FIRs booking 400 people, and banned gatherings of five or more until 6 August. Nagpur Police detained more than 200 at Samvidhan Chowk late on 22 July. A Mumbai police driver was removed from duty after a video showed him threatening detained students with fake drug cases.
Key takeaways
- On 20 July Mumbai Police detained over 300 protesters, including minors, around Chaityabhoomi, Shivaji Park, Dadar station and Mahim, saying no permission had been given for any protest.
- On 21 July police detained people at Shivaji Park before a planned student protest began; an Outlook reporter was among those put in a police bus.
- On 22 July police detained protesters at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Garden in Chembur; eyewitnesses said some were dragged into vans.
- Mumbai Police said 13 FIRs had been registered between 18 and 22 July for unlawful assembly and disobeying orders, booking 400 people who were given notices and let go.
- A police driver filmed telling detained youths "I will put 50 grams of 'powder' in your pocket" was removed from his posting; Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the act "completely wrong".
Background
On 20 July 2026 police in Delhi used lathi charges and tear gas to stop the Cockroach Janta Party's march on Parliament. See Police action at the 20 July march. In Mumbai, left-wing student groups called a protest at Chaityabhoomi, Ambedkar's memorial in Dadar, timed to coincide with the Delhi march. The Wire On 19 July, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray had addressed a gathering at Shivaji Park over Sonam Wangchuk's removal from Jantar Mantar. Deccan Chronicle
Mumbai: what happened each day
Hundreds detained around Chaityabhoomi
Police rounded up over 300 people across several stations before they could gather, including an 11-year-old boy held at Worli police station. About 41 people were held at Sion and over 50 at Mahim. Detainees said their phone numbers and addresses were noted and some were photographed. Police said: "No permission is granted for holding any protest at Chaityabhoomi." The Wire One detainee told Scroll there were about 125 people at Mahim police station. Scroll Police "resorted to using force" in some areas, Free Press Journal reported. Free Press Journal
Shivaji Park: detained before the protest began
An Outlook reporter at Shivaji Park saw officers intercepting people on the way and steering them into police buses before any protest started. When the reporter asked why young women were being detained, the reporter was "grabbed, roughed up, and thrown into the back of the detention van". The bus held 26 detainees, including a 16-year-old, and four buses went to Worli and Mahim, where detainees were released in batches from 6:45 pm. Outlook The same day police filed cases against more than 50 people over the Chaityabhoomi protest, and some earlier detainees were issued notices to join the investigation. Scroll
Chembur and Dadar
Hundreds gathered at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Garden in Chembur amid heavy deployment. Police detained several protesters; eyewitnesses alleged some were dragged into police vehicles. Crowds also gathered outside Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar. Deccan Chronicle (PTI)
Drug-threat video and ban on gatherings
A 25-second video showed a police driver telling two detained youths: "If I find you here again, I will put 50 grams of 'powder' in your pocket. You won't get bail, and your entire life will be ruined." Police ordered an inquiry and removed him from his posting. ThePrint (PTI) Police orders under the Maharashtra Police Act barred gatherings of five or more without permission from 23 July to 6 August. Scroll
Nagpur: Samvidhan Chowk, 22 July
Thousands of young people gathered at Samvidhan Chowk (Constitution Square) on the evening of Wednesday 22 July, after a first protest there on 20 July. Police said permission had been given until 7 pm, but protesters stayed past 11 pm. At about 10:30 pm, Commissioner Vishwas Nangare Patil and senior officers reviewed the situation and decided to clear and detain them. Navbharat reported that more than 200 people were detained, some were forcibly pushed away, and some were put straight into police vehicles and taken to headquarters. Navbharat (Hindi)
What the footage shows
Claim · circulating videos Short clips from Maharashtra on these dates have circulated online. Going by their captions, they show these kinds of incidents. We have not verified each clip, and captions are not findings of fact.
- Chembur and Shivaji Park, 21 July: police detaining protesters, including young people, before or as they gathered.
- Mumbai, 22 July: protesters being forcibly detained, and a policeman threatening detained students that drugs would be planted on them and false charges filed.
- Nagpur, 22 July: a lathi charge and protesters being dragged into detention, including a woman protester being dragged.
The Shivaji Park detentions are confirmed by Outlook's reporter, the Chembur detentions by PTI (which dates them to 22 July), and the drug threat by the police's own action against the driver. Nagpur reports describe forcible removal; we found no report that used the term lathi charge.
Protesters' account
Students say they were picked up before reaching protest sites or while passing by, held for hours without explanation, and had phones checked and details recorded. The Congress alleged that 500 to 700 students were taken into preventive custody on 20 and 22 July, some from metro stations or outside their homes, that FIRs were "false", and that police made students share live locations. ThePrint (PTI) The Wire
Police and government account
Police say no permission was granted for protests at Shivaji Park, Chaityabhoomi, Chembur or Shiv Sena Bhavan, and that cases were for unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint and disobeying orders. Chief Minister Fadnavis condemned the drug threat but said videos also showed police being attacked: "Some people were pelting stones and attacking policemen... The organisers should keep such elements away." Deccan Chronicle DT Next (PTI)
Outcome
- FIRs: 13 FIRs in Mumbai between 18 and 22 July, booking 400 people, who were given notices and allowed to leave. Deccan Chronicle
- Driver: Removed from his posting pending an inquiry. No outcome of the inquiry had been reported. ThePrint (PTI)
- Opposition demand: A Congress delegation led by Harshwardhan Sapkal asked DGP Sadanand Date and Commissioner Deven Bharti on 23 July to release students and withdraw all FIRs. ThePrint (PTI)
- Supreme Court: On 28 July the court ordered all states to release detained minors and students without criminal antecedents, and noted petitions covering Maharashtra. Open
Questions people ask
Why were students detained at Shivaji Park in July 2026?
Mumbai Police said no permission had been granted for the protests. Students were holding solidarity protests after the Delhi police action on 20 July and demanding the Education Minister's resignation.
How many people were booked in Mumbai?
Police said 13 FIRs were registered between 18 and 22 July, booking 400 people, who were given notices and released.
Was the Mumbai policeman who threatened to plant drugs punished?
He was removed from his posting while an inquiry was conducted. The CM called his act "completely wrong". No inquiry result had been reported.
What happened in Nagpur on 22 July 2026?
Police cleared a protest at Samvidhan Chowk at about 11 pm, saying permission ended at 7 pm, and detained more than 200 people, according to Navbharat.
Sources
- The Wire: Mumbai Police detain over 300 protesters, including minors, 20 Jul 2026
- Scroll: From Shillong to Mumbai, solidarity demonstrations held across India, 20 Jul 2026
- Free Press Journal: Protest continues at Chaityabhoomi; police file cases against organisers, 20 Jul 2026
- Scroll: Mumbai Police file FIRs against over 50 persons, 21 Jul 2026
- Outlook: In Mumbai, citizens were detained before a protest could begin, 22 Jul 2026
- Deccan Chronicle: Mumbai Police register 13 FIRs, book 400 people, 23 Jul 2026
- Navbharat: Nagpur Constitution Square protest, 200+ detained (Hindi), 23 Jul 2026
- ThePrint (PTI): Cong seeks withdrawal of 'false' cases against students in Mumbai, 23 Jul 2026
- ThePrint (PTI): Mumbai cop shunted after video shows him threatening to plant drugs, 23 Jul 2026
- DT Next (PTI): Mumbai cop shunted after drug threat video, 24 Jul 2026
- Open: Supreme Court orders release of minors held in NEET protest crackdown, 28 Jul 2026