A large-scale “Long March” organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) culminated in a tense standoff at the Palghar District Collector’s office in Maharashtra on Tuesday after tens of thousands of farmers, tribals, fisherfolk, women and youth reached the district headquarters on foot to press a broad set of demands.

The march, which began on Monday from Charoti village in Dahanu tehsil and covered approximately 50 kilometres, was met with stringent police bandobust, preventing the crowd from entering the collectorate compound and leading to the sit-in protest around the premises and a blockade of the Boisar–Palghar road.

Protesters are demanding the full implementation of the Forest Rights Act and the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), cancellation of the proposed Vadhavan and Murbe port projects, rollback of smart meter schemes, strengthening of employment and welfare programmes such as MGNREGA, and vesting of temple and government land in the hands of actual farmers; authorities said they are open to dialogue but have been firm on conditions for talks.

Mass Mobilisation and Demands Put Authorities on Alert

On Monday, the CPI(M), supported by mass organisations including the AIKS, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Students’ Federation of India (SFI), launched a mammoth march from Charoti in Dahanu tehsil, drawing an estimated 50,000 participants from across Palghar district.

Organisers described the march as a demonstration of long-standing public frustration with issues ranging from land and forest rights to job security and infrastructure development that threatens local livelihoods.

Senior CPI(M) leaders, including AIKS national president Dr Ashok Dhawale, national general secretary Vijoo Krishnan and CPI(M) MLA Vinod Nikole, were present at the forefront of the march. According to the organisers, the protesters comprise farmers, agricultural workers, tribals, women, youth and students from every tehsil in Palghar.

They marched with slogans demanding full enforcement of existing laws, such as the Forest Rights Act and PESA, vesting of all temple, ‘inaam’ and government land in the names of actual tillers, restoration and strengthening of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with assured days of work, cancellation of the controversial electricity smart meter scheme, repeal of the new Labour Codes and scrapping of proposed mega-projects such as the Vadhavan and Murbe ports.

The government’s proposed Vadhavan Port project backed by both the state and central authorities has been a flashpoint for local protests for years, with villagers, fishermen and adivasi groups arguing that it will irreversibly damage agriculture, marine ecology and traditional livelihoods.

A separate contingent of around 20,000 residents under the Vadhavan Bandar Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti (VBVSS) also marched from the Palghar railway station to the collector’s office to submit a memorandum opposing the port, airport, textile parks and allied projects, citing environmental degradation and procedural lapses.

Standoff at the Collectorate: Sit-In and Traffic Blockade

By Tuesday evening, thousands of marchers had reached the Palghar collectorate after walking nearly 50 kilometres, including an overnight halt at Manor. However, police prevented the larger body of protestors from entering the collectorate premises, citing law and order concerns.

This led to heated exchanges between protesters and security personnel, with demonstrators surrounding the Collector’s office and staging a sit-in protest, blocking the busy Boisar–Palghar road and causing significant traffic disruption.

Senior CPI(M) leader Dr Dhawale reiterated that the agitation would continue until the government provided written assurances with a clear, time-bound schedule for meeting the demands. “We want a time-bound assurance from the government in writing.

A large section of the public is angry,” he said, warning that the protest could escalate with further actions, including rail blockades or marches towards state capitals if their concerns were not addressed.

Officials from the District Collector’s office, including Collector Indurani Jakhar, said the administration had invited a protest delegation for discussions and was open to dialogue, but maintained that there were conditions on the number of people and access to secure areas. They emphasised that the situation remained largely peaceful and that elaborate police arrangements were in place to prevent any outbreak of violence.

Historical Context and Broader Grievances

The Palghar protests are not isolated but part of broader and persistent grievances in tribal, coastal and agricultural belts of Maharashtra. For decades, communities here have expressed discontent over land acquisition, forest rights and development projects perceived as favouring industrial growth at the expense of local livelihoods.

The Vadhavan Port proposal, controversially revived in the late 2010s after being shelved for nearly two decades, has faced repeated opposition from villagers, fisherfolk and environmental groups, who argue that the region designated as eco-sensitive should not be subjected to large-scale reclamation, dredging and infrastructure projects without proper environmental safeguards and local consent.

Past protests in Palghar and other tribal belts have highlighted similar issues, from demands for land titles under FRA and PESA to resistance against projects seen as ecologically destructive or socially unjust. In a region with a significant adivasi population and rich marine and forest ecosystems, these conflicts have repeatedly brought farmers and tribal rights groups into direct confrontation with government plans.

Moreover, the protests reflect wider discontent across the state’s rural hinterland, where agrarian distress, low productivity, climate pressures and inadequate implementation of welfare policies have fuelled repeated marches, sit-ins and strikes in recent years. These movements underscore the deep structural challenges facing India’s agricultural and tribal communities even as the economy pursues large-scale infrastructure expansion.

The Logical Indian’s Perspective

Large protests like the Palghar Long March remind us that democratic engagement and peaceful demonstration are vital avenues for citizens to voice legitimate grievances. The demands raised by farmers, tribals and coastal communities from securing land and forest rights to ensuring fair access to employment and protecting fragile ecosystems deserve earnest attention through transparent, participatory dialogue rather than confrontation.

While authorities are right to maintain public safety, the voices of the marginalised must not be sidelined or dismissed. Development should be inclusive, equitable and sustainable, respecting both the rights of local inhabitants and the ecological balance of the region. We urge all stakeholders to prioritise empathy, constructive negotiation and humane policies over standoffs.