Mumbai CJP Protest Crackdown: Most FIR Accused Are Young, Every Third Is a Woman

Mumbai Protest FIRs: Over Half of Accused Are 25 or Younger, Women Make Up One-Third, Says Report

More than half of the people named in Mumbai Police FIRs linked to protests held in support of the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) agitation in Delhi are aged 25 years or below, while women account for nearly one-third of those accused, according to a report by The Indian Express based on police records.

The protests, held over the past few days, were organised in solidarity with the CJP-led movement against alleged examination irregularities and the police action on demonstrators in the national capital.

Young Protesters Dominate FIRs

The report, citing data from seven FIRs, said age details were available for 261 of the 301 people named as accused.

Among them:

137 accused (over 52%) were aged 25 years or younger.
57 were between 18 and 20 years.
80 fell in the 21-25 years age bracket.
53 were aged 26-30 years.
40 belonged to the 31-40 years category.
31 were above 40 years.

The age of 40 accused was not mentioned in the FIRs, though some of them were identified as students.

Nearly Every Third Accused Is a Woman

The report further stated that 91 women and 201 men have been named in the seven FIRs, while the gender of nine individuals was not specified. This means women constitute roughly one in every three accused in the cases. The FIRs were registered at Sion, Worli, Dadar, Wadala TT, Mahim, Kalachowkie and Bhoiwada police stations. Details of an eighth FIR were reportedly unavailable.

According to the report, the offences invoked in these cases are bailable and carry a maximum punishment of two years’ imprisonment.

Around 400 Booked in 13 FIRs

Mumbai Police said they have registered 13 FIRs since July 18, booking around 400 people for offences including unlawful assembly, wrongful restraint and violation of prohibitory orders.

Officials said demonstrations were held at locations including Shivaji Park, Chaityabhoomi, Chembur and Shiv Sena Bhavan without prior permission. Protesters were served notices after being named in the FIRs and were subsequently allowed to leave.

Police also said they were initiating legal action over another protest at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar.

Protests Continue Across Mumbai

The demonstrations entered their third consecutive day on Wednesday, with students, activists and leaders from opposition parties demanding action over the alleged examination irregularities and criticising the police response to protesters in Delhi.

Hundreds gathered at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Garden in Chembur, where police detained several protesters before releasing them later.

Following the detentions, Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, MNS leader Amit Thackeray and NCP (SP) leader Fahad Ahmad visited the police station. Aaditya Thackeray alleged that the protesters had assembled peacefully and claimed that attempts to suppress the movement would only strengthen public support for it.