MUMBAI, March 9 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) chief, Bhushan Gagrani, on Sunday directed the authorities to take strict action against illegal hawkers and encroachments after a civic eviction drive in Kandivali turned violent. His response comes after a mob attacked civic officials and damaged vehicles on Friday night. According to civic officials, the BMC team from the R-South ward was carrying out an anti-encroachment drive on March 7 at Vishwakarmanye Chowk near Lokhandwala Circle to remove unauthorised hawkers when a crowd allegedly assaulted officers and staff and vandalised vehicles belonging to the civic body. The Samata Nagar police on Saturday arrested five persons for attacking BMC officials. During the attack, a mob even pelted the BMC team with stones, forcing them to flee and take refuge in neighboring shops. Gagrani visited the site a day later to review the situation and met officials and workers who were injured during the attack. He directed BMC teams to continue action against illegal hawkers, shopkeepers, and others obstructing footpaths and roads, saying such encroachments hinder pedestrian movement and traffic. During the inspection, he also ordered the removal of vehicles parked on roads and instructed officials to shut a pizza outlet whose delivery motorcycles were blocking traffic. Civic officials said that despite Friday's incident, eviction drives against illegal hawkers and footpath encroachments will continue across the city. The BMC's anti-encroachment drive comes at the time when the Bombay High Court, earlier in 2026, had rapped civic authorities for "surrendering Mumbai to encroachers". The court also described the civic body's attempts to clear encroachments in the city as the "Tom and Jerry show", noting the civic body's argument that encroachers removed from one place quickly reappear elsewhere....