Pedestrian opens latch, detained students escape from police van in Mumbai

A pedestrian opened the latch of a police van in Mumbai's Chembur area, allowing detained student protesters to escape.

The incident occurred during a student protest at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Udyan Chowk on July 23, 2026, held in violation of prohibitory orders.

Around 200 individuals were detained from a crowd of 700-800 protesters before the escape.

The Mumbai police registered 13 cases booking 400 persons between July 18 and July 22 related to ongoing protests.

A viral video also showed a woman confronting police and demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.