Sumona Chakravarti recalls fear in South Mumbai, later deletes explosive account of Maratha protest chaos

Actor Sumona Chakravarti briefly shared an alarming experience on her Instagram, claiming she was harassed by Maratha quota protestors in South Mumbai. Hours later, the post disappeared from her profile.

On Sunday afternoon, Sumona wrote that while driving from Colaba to Fort around 12:30 pm, her car was suddenly surrounded by a group of protestors. She described how one man with an orange stole allegedly banged on her bonnet, pressed his belly against the car and made provocative gestures. According to her, others shouted slogans, laughed, and knocked on her windows.

“Just me, in my car, in broad daylight, in South Bombay — feeling unsafe. 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 wrote in her now-deleted note.

She further mentioned that this happened twice within five minutes, yet no police intervened. “No law and order. The ones we saw later were just sitting, chatting, hanging," her post alleged.

The actor admitted that for the first time in years she felt unsafe in the city. She added that she was relieved to have a male friend in the car, pointing out that if she had been alone, the situation could have escalated. She also wrote that she wanted to record the incident but chose against it, fearing the act might provoke the crowd.

In her caption, Sumona broadened her concern to the state of society. “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 said.

The post, however, was deleted later the same day. She did not issue any clarification on why she took it down.

The Maratha quota protests have continued to create civic disruptions in Mumbai, with commuters and residents frequently reporting traffic chaos and street blockades. Sumona’s account, though no longer visible on her profile, has sparked conversations about safety, law enforcement, and the larger impact of prolonged agitations in public spaces.