Updated On: 25 January, 2024 06:48 AM IST | Mumbai | Shirish Vaktania
Devastated by Tuesday’s bulldozer action, and vandalism later the same night, shopkeepers who have been in business for over two decades rue their losses despite having nothing to do with violence

Shops attacked on Tuesday evening in Shanti Nagar. Pics/Hanif Patel
Shop and stall owners in Naya Nagar in Mira Road told mid-day that they were devastated by Tuesday’s action by Municipal Corporation (MBMC), where multiple allegedly illegal stalls were razed. One aggrieved resident Mohamad Abul Hussain Shaikh, who had been running a garage in the Naya Nagar area for 22 years, said, “I never received any notice before. They didn’t even give us time to remove our machinery, resulting in damage worth around Rs 6 lakh. I lost my entire life savings in this incident.”

Matiullah who works at a scrap shop received stitches to his head (right) Mohamad Umar, whose leg was injured
On Tuesday evening fresh riots occurred after a mob of 200-300 people attacked local shops in the neighbouring Shanti Nagar, pelting stones and forcing shop owners to close the shops. Despite the presence of cops and other deployed forces, they were unable to control the riots. As per the locals the cops deployed 2,500 personnel, SRPF, commandos, riot control teams, and Maharashtra Suraksh Bal, but they failed to prevent the riots in Shanti Nagar.