Sumona Chakravarti shared a detailed Instagram post, revealing her harrowing experience on the streets of Mumbai on Sunday (August 31) after protesters mobbed her car. The Maratha quota protests in Mumbai, led by activist Manoj Jarange Patil entered the third day on Sunday.
What's Happening
In a now-deleted Instagram post, Sumona wrote that protesters banged on the bonnet of her car, while others banged on windows, laughing at her.
Sharing the gravity of the situation, Sumona said she never felt "unsafe" in South Mumbai.
"12:30 this afternoon. I'm driving from Colaba to Fort. And suddenly-my car is blocked by a mob. One man with an orange stole banging on my bonnet, smirking. Pressing his protruding belly against my car. Shimmying in front of me like he's proving some sick point. His friends banging on my windows, shouting "Jai Maharashtra!" & laughing. We moved a little ahead & repeat of the same thing. Twice in a span of 5 mins. No police. (The ones we saw later were just sitting, chatting, hanging) No law & order. Just me, in my car, in broad daylight, in South Bombay-feeling unsafe," Sumona began her note with these words.
"And the streets? Piled with banana peels, plastic bottles, filth. Pavements taken over. Protesters eating, sleeping, bathing, cooking, pissing, shitting, video calling, making reels, doing Mumbai darshan in the name of protest. A complete mockery of civic sense," she continued.
"But today, for the first time in years, in broad daylight inside the safety of my own car I felt genuinely unsafe. Vulnerable. And I suddenly felt lucky-lucky that a male friend was with me. I couldn't help but think, if I had been alone, then what??? I was tempted to record a video but quickly realised that this might provoke/instigate them further. So i didn't. It's frightening when you realize that no matter who you are, or where you are, law and order can collapse in seconds," she wrote.
She further added, "Peaceful protests exist- we've seen them for causes far more urgent. And yet, those are the ones the police clamp down on. But here? Absolute lawlessness. As a tax paying citizen, as a woman, and as someone who loves this city, I'm left disturbed. We deserve better than this mockery of governance and civic responsibility. We deserve the right to feel safe in our own city."
"Not the Digital Bharat they keep talking about. Because when casteism, religion, politics, corruption, bureaucracy, illiteracy and unemployment are running the show-this isn't development. It's decay. #MarathaQuotaProtest," she concluded.
About Maratha Quota Protest
The activist has been demanding a 10% quota for Marathas and wants them to be recognised as Kunbis - an agrarian caste included in the Other Backward Classes category - which will make them eligible for reservation in government jobs and education.
