Burst of heavy rains forces Maratha protesters to scramble for cover

Mumbai: A short spell of heavy rains on Friday morning caused inconvenience to Maratha quota protesters at Azad Maidan and outside, forcing many of them to look for shelter.

Several protesters who had come to the city for activist Manoj Jarange’s agitation ran towards the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, while others took cover under the BMC headquarters porch, inside the CSMT subway, and at nearby bus stops to avoid getting drenched.

The rain started around 11.30 am and was intense for about 10 minutes.

However, many Maratha community members braved the showers to stay put at the protest venue.

The protesters also accused the authorities of not making any arrangements for them despite knowing that a large number of people would be reaching Azad Maidan, they said.

After the heavy spell, light rains continued in the area. The congestion at the CSMT junction eased as the protesters cleared the spot to escape the rains.

The other parts of the island city remained cloudy, but did not receive any rains, said officials.

The India Meteorological Department has predicted “cloudy sky with moderate spells of rain in the city and suburbs” for the next 24 hours starting Friday morning, said officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Mumbai’s island city recorded an average rainfall of 20.36 mm, while the western and eastern suburbs received 17.55 mm and 14.68 mm of rainfall, respectively, in the past 24 hours ended at 8 am on Friday, they said.