* Mumbai's Aarey colony is often referred to as 'city's lungs', spread over 13,000 hectares, it is home to over 27 Adivasi villages and inhabits various animal species.

* The trouble started after Mumbai civic body's tree authority granted permission to Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) to cut down over 2,700 trees from Aarey colony in order to build a car shed for the Metro.

* City-based NGO Vanashakti filed a petition in Bombay High Court for declaration that entire 1,280 hectare area of Aarey Colony as ‘Reserved Forest’ or a ‘Protected Forest’ as the case may be, under the Indian Forest Act of 1927.

* However, the state, civic administration and Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) all had argued that the HC cannot decide the issue of Aarey being a forest since the matter was decided by another bench last October and an appeal against it is pending before the Supreme Court.

* Residents and environmental activists, nonetheless, opposed the cutting of trees for the construction of the metro car shed and also demanded relocation of the bus depot, which is a part of the Metro III project.

* On October 4, the Bombay High Court dismissed all petitions against the proposed cutting down of trees.

* Hours later a protest was held on Friday night near the Aarey forest with hundreds of people gathered to stop authorities from cutting trees during the wee hours. Police was deployed on the site as hundreds of people gathered in the area to stop trees from being hacked.

* Mumbai police imposed Section 144 of CrPC on Saturday near the metro construction site. Section 144 is imposed in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger of some event and prohibits public gathering.

* Since Section 144 imposition, 29 people were arrested by 11 pm on Friday night under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for disturbing public order and obstructing government officials from performing their duties.

* On Saturday evening, a local court sent 29 people to judicial custody for five days while police detained 55 others in connection with Aarey colony protests.

* Other than the residents and activists, Shiv Sena and Congress' political leaders were also detained who protested against the falling of trees on Friday night. Bollywood celebrities also took to social media to express anguish over cutting of trees.

(With inputs from agencies)

