It said that a Marathi-medium school on Mori Road in Mahim, north central Mumbai, would be demolished, and a protest had been planned for the next day at 11 am. It was the second Marathi school in Mahim facing demolition.
Many believed that a powerful builders lobby was eyeing the land for a shopping mall or luxury apartment complex. The post accused them of pushing out poor Marathi-speaking children for profit.
The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation, which runs the New Mahim school, had a different version.
According to officials, the school building was unsafe and in a poor condition. They said the structure was beyond repair and must be pulled down for the safety of students.
The BMC also stated that nearly 1,000 students from the school had been moved to other schools in neighbouring areas.
The protest was led by Deepak Pawar from the Marathi Abhyas Kendra. He looked disappointed but determined.
Speaking to the small group, Pawar said, "We saw how Marathi mill workers were thrown out when the textile mills closed. Those lands were turned into malls and towers. Now, the same thing is happening to our schools. They are erasing Marathi identity from Mumbai in the name of development."
In the last few decades, Mumbai's transformation has been ruthless.
Mill lands have become shopping malls, chawls have become skyscrapers, and Marathi-speaking residents have moved out to the suburbs or smaller towns because they can no longer afford to live in the city.
21/11/2025