Woman, 26, killed under container truck as Thane protest causes 27-km jam on Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway

A 26-year-old woman died after being caught under a heavy container truck in a massive traffic jam on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway on Wednesday morning. Traffic in the stretch had collapsed because of a protest in Thane that began after the murder of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Pradeep Purnekar.

The woman has been identified as Dhanashree Paresh Sonawane, a resident of Gandhi Pada in Ganeshpuri, Bhiwandi. The exact circumstances of her death are not yet clear.

A jam of roughly 20 to 27 km formed between the Versova bridge over Vasai creek and the Virar limits, leaving motorists stuck for hours. From Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, lanes towards Mumbai and Thane were badly hit. The jam began at Virar and Mandvi and spread towards Mira Road, Nalasopara, Vasai and Naigaon. Vehicles coming from Ahmedabad towards Mumbai and Thane suffered the most.

Sanjay Shintre, Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police Commissionerate, said: "Roads were blocked in Thane and restrictions were imposed on heavy vehicles, and that affected us too. Vehicles coming from Ahmedabad towards Mumbai and Thane got stuck." Traffic on the highway was already slow because of road work between Virar and Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), and the disruption in Thane added to it.

Shintre said reports that traffic had come to a complete halt were not true. "Traffic has not stopped the way people are saying. It is moving very slowly and we are releasing vehicles gradually," he said.

More than 300 traffic personnel were deployed along the 27-km stretch. Deputy commissioners of police of the zones, staff from six police stations and two assistant commissioners of police worked to clear the traffic.

Pankaj Raut, a resident of Palghar, said: "Traffic trouble on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway is routine. The only difference between Tuesday night and Wednesday was a delay of two extra hours. Earlier, people would be stuck on this highway for about two hours." Raut also alleged that the jam worsened on Wednesday because containers heading to Mumbai airport were driving on the wrong side. Motorist Vishal H. Rochlani wrote on X: "Stuck on the Vasai bridge on NH48 for three hours, haven't moved an inch since. There were no traffic police to clear the jam either. I think heavy vehicles caused this. Fed up."

Purnekar was murdered on September 29. Protests flared in Thane on Tuesday night over the killing. Purnekar's supporters demanded the arrest of former mayor Meenakshi Shinde and her husband Rajendra Shinde. The victim's family has alleged that the two were involved in the murder. The allegations have not been proved.

On Tuesday afternoon, police detained Purnekar's son as he marched towards the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, demanding action in the case. The agitation then intensified. The protest, which began outside Naupada police station, spread to Manpada, Balkum-Bhiwandi Road, Chitalsar and Kasarvadavali, and the jam extended towards Kapurbawdi. Protesters blocked the highway near Manpada Chowk and burnt tyres at several places, and traffic on Ghodbunder Road and connecting roads came to a complete halt.

Commuters between Thane and Mumbai were stuck for about seven hours. Some are said to have abandoned their vehicles and walked several kilometres to reach their destinations. Police intervened to remove the protesters and clear the roads. The protesters are alleged to have refused to disperse, and police are said to have used a lathi-charge at Manpada Chowk at about 3 am on Wednesday. Some protesters later tried to pelt stones at the police. After the blockade was cleared, traffic slowly resumed and returned to normal at about 4 am, a senior traffic police officer said.