Mumbai's crackdown on street vendors is no longer just about clearing pavements. With FIRs increasingly replacing fines and eviction notices, the city’s enforcement drive is now pushing thousands of informal workers into the criminal justice system, raising fears of lasting consequences for livelihoods, mobility and identity.

Data from North Mumbai zones alone shows hundreds of cases already registered under criminal provisions, even as hawker unions allege the action is being driven by political pressure and identity targeting, while the city’s long-pending hawker policy remains stuck in legal and administrative limbo.