Konkan mango and cashew farmers held a major protest on May 15, 2026, in Mumbai to protest against inadequate compensation for extensive crop losses caused by erratic weather. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)A massive protest march led by mango and cashew farmers from the Konkan region towards ‘Varsha’, the official residence of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, was stopped by police in South Mumbai on Friday, with several Opposition leaders and activists detained at Nariman Point.The protest, organised under the leadership of Swabhiman Shetkari Sanghatana president Raju Shetti and Maharashtra Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal, began from Girgaon Chowpatty and sought higher compensation for crop losses caused by unseasonal rain and hailstorms in the Konkan region.Thousands of farmers cultivating mangoes and cashew took to the streets, alleging that the state government had failed to provide adequate financial relief despite repeated crop damage over the past several months. The protest, known as the “Chalo Mumbai” march, aims to address the severe financial hardships faced by growers in districts like Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, and Raigad. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekar)Police personnel deployed in large numbers intercepted the march before it could proceed towards Varsha and detained several leaders and activists. Those detained included Raju Shetti, Harshvardhan Sapkal, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha leader Mahadev Jankar, Shiv Sena leader Vinayak Raut, MP Arvind Sawant, Marathi Bhasha Samiti’s Deepak Pawar and Shiv Sena functionary Prakash Reddy. Detainees were taken to Dongri Police Station and Azad Maidan Police Station.“We were taking out a peaceful morcha for the rights of farmers, but the police forcibly detained us. We are being treated like criminals,” Shetti alleged. He claimed that farmers had been raising the issue for the past three months but the government had ignored their demands.Shetti further accused the government of deploying heavy police force across the city to disrupt the protest and prevent people from joining the march.The protesting farmers demanded compensation of Rs 5 lakh per hectare for mango crop losses and Rs 3 lakh per hectare for damage to cashew plantations.Story continues below this adSapkal criticised the BJP-led governments at both the Centre and in Maharashtra, alleging that the agriculture sector had been neglected and farmers denied adequate compensation. “The anti-farmer BJP government repeatedly uses police force against opposition leaders. It is unfortunate and undemocratic,” he said.Targeting the Centre over rising fuel prices, Sapkal alleged that petrol, diesel and CNG prices had been artificially held back during recent state elections to avoid political backlash. He also accused the Narendra Modi government of yielding to American pressure on oil imports from Russia, claiming that weakening the Russia oil purchase policy had increased the burden on common citizens.On the NEET paper leak controversy, Sapkal claimed that examination papers had been leaked multiple times over the past seven years and accused the government of ignoring widespread corruption in the system despite the impact on students and parents.Reacting to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis allegedly calling the Opposition “brainless” for questioning the Prime Minister’s austerity appeal, Sapkal said the remark reflected political arrogance and intolerance towards criticism.