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Why did protests occur in Bombay between 1956 and 1960?
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Mumbai
Entrance to Mumbai Harbour, marked by the Gateway of India (right foreground).
Between 1956 and 1960, intense protests occurred in Bombay due to the state's linguistically divided makeup, which was a legacy of British imperialism. At the time, the state of Bombay included both Marathi-speaking populations in the south and Gujarati-speaking populations in the north.123
The Maratha people engaged in widespread protests to demand the reorganization of the state along linguistic lines. These demonstrations ultimately led to the partition of the state in 1960, resulting in the creation of Gujarat in the north and the newly formed state of Maharashtra in the south, with Bombay serving as the capital of the latter.132