Mumbai: Forty workers, five BMC employees, three senior officers and several police personnel turned up with a bulldozer Wednesday morning at Nargis Dutt Road to tear down parts of a quaint Pali Hill bungalow in Mumbai — the office of Manikarnika Films Private Limited, actor Kangana Ranaut’s production house.
According to a notice by the Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to Ranaut, there are 14 items of unauthorised construction at the office that was set up in January in Mumbai’s posh Bandra suburb.
But in the afternoon the demolition work was stopped after the actor’s lawyer, Rizwan Siddiqui, filed an urgent petition in the Bombay High Court against it. By then, the BMC had already broken down portions of the alleged illegal construction.
The BMC’s action comes at a time the actor is locked in a raging row with the ruling party over her comments on the Mumbai Police and the death of Sushant Singh Rajput. Ranaut had said that Mumbai felt like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and criticised the Mumbai Police. The escalating issue resulted in the Centre granting her Y plus security cover, a privilege extended to select few, such as Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde. She is also the first actor ever to receive a version of India’s elite security cover.
The demolition, which involved having at least 50 people present at one spot, also comes at a time Mumbai is struggling to contain the spread of Covid-19. Mumbai, India’s hot spot, currently has 24,556 active cases of the 1,58,756 recorded so far. On Tuesday alone, 1,346 people tested positive in the financial capital.
Also read: As Kangana gets Y+ security cover, here’s the X,Y,Z of protection details provided by govt
‘Unauthorised toilets, balcony enclosed without permission’
According to the BMC’s notice to Ranaut, the 14 items of unauthorised construction include an unauthorised pantry, kitchen, unauthorised toilets, conversion of a toilet into an office cabin, changing the orientation of a staircase without permission, enclosing a balcony as well as changing the position of the main entrance gate.
“We had information regarding possible illegal construction at the bungalow, after which our staff visited the site on Monday for an inspection. We issued the notice after following the due procedure,” a senior BMC official told ThePrint.
The notice reads: “… The ongoing renovation and finishing work to the unauthorised portion at above promises is beyond the BCC plan (Building Completion Certificate) dated 07.03.1979.” Through the notice, the civic body gave Ranaut 24 hours to produce documentary evidence of permission taken from the civic authority for the alterations.
Ranaut, in 2018, had received a similar BMC notice for illegal construction at her residence in Khar, the official said. “She challenged it in court, which stayed the notice. We have filed a reply asking for the stay on the demolition order to be vacated. We are awaiting the court’s further instructions,” he said.
BMC says Ranaut’s reply not satisfactory, she responds ‘Pakistan’
On Tuesday, the BMC had pasted the notice at the front of Bungalow No. 5 at Chetak Row Houses — the address of the production house. The notice, a copy of which has been accessed by ThePrint, was issued to Ranaut under Section 354 (A) of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act.
The BMC official, who did not wish to be named, told ThePrint, “We had given Kangana Ranaut 24 hours to respond. Her team has given us a written reply, but it is not satisfactory. We have sent her another letter explaining the reasons for why her response is not up to the mark, and legally started the demolition.”
Ranaut, who returned to the city Wednesday afternoon, posted several videos of the demolition on Twitter. Earlier in the day, she tweeted pictures of the BMC crew and the demolition at her office, calling the Shiv Sena and the civic body ‘Babur and his army’.
#DeathOfDemocracy pic.twitter.com/9jPsCDYYrH
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020
Babur and his army ?#deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/L5wiUoNqhl
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020
In a tweet with some more photos, she captioned it “Pakistan”.
“I am never wrong and my enemies prove again and again that Mumbai is POK now,” Ranaut tweeted, reiterating her earlier comment that triggered the row.
Pakistan…. #deathofdemocracy pic.twitter.com/4m2TyTcg95
— Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) September 9, 2020
“There is no illegal construction in my house, also government has banned any demolitions in Covid till September 30, Bullywood watch now this is what Fascism looks like,” she said in another tweet.
Earlier in the day, Ranaut also tweeted how her office premises is not just a building for her, but a Ram temple.
“The first film announced from Manikarnika Films was Ayodhya. For me, this is not just a building, but Ram Mandir. Today, Babur has come there. Today, history will repeat itself again. Ram Mandir will break again, but, remember, Babur, the temple will be built again,” she said, closing her tweet with a chant of Jai Shree Ram.
This is not the first time the BMC has, on its own accord, initiated action against a detractor of the Shiv Sena and the BMC. In 2017, the BMC sent a notice to Lily Mendonsa for dengue breeding at her house after her daughter, popular radio jockey Malishka, posted a video criticising the civic body’s monsoon preparedness. The video had gone viral.
Also read: Kangana Ranaut’s Twitter timeline is Manorama yearbook, Jhansi ki Rani edition
Political slugfest
The war of words, ongoing since last week, saw Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik move a breach of privilege motion against Ranaut in the Maharashtra legislative assembly Tuesday.
The Shiv Sena had also alleged that the actor’s Twitter account was being handled by the BJP’s IT Cell, with Sarnaik later claiming that a conspiracy was being hatched against the party.
Speaking to ThePrint, Sarnaik had said the BJP is using Kangana as a weapon to politically attack the Shiv Sena. “We have information that the Twitter handle of Kangana Ranaut (@KanganaTeam) is actually operated by the BJP’s IT cell,” he said.
Several Shiv Sena leaders have issued threats to Kangana saying they will not let her return to the city.
Indirectly responding to Ranaut’s 3 September tweet comparing Mumbai to POK, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had said those who think Maharashtra or Mumbai isn’t safe have no right to live in the state, and praised the police for their efforts to maintain law and order.
Also read: BJP’s support to Kangana Ranaut a conspiracy against Mumbai, Shiv Sena says in Saamana
Congrats Sena in doing the right thing. She had plenty of time, she has a history of breaking the law. Hundreds of hawkers n illegal shops are broken everyday by BMC. MumbaiBMC n Police ki izzat karro. Jai Maharashtra.
If we check the construction of buildings in any metropolitan city in India including Government buildings, most of them do not match with the sanctioned plans. Why not an independent agency should be appointed by GOI check Uddhav Thakare’s house with respect to the plan sanctioned? If it can prove that Uddhav Thakare House is as per plan, then, action by BMC can be justified. The action taken by Uddhav Thakre and BMC is to divert the attention from the murder of Disha Shalian, role of Shiav sena politicians in drug mafia and role of Mumbai Police in cleaning the house of Sushant Singh Rajput to leave no trace of any evidence to really prove what had happened. The Maharashtra home minister threatens Kanagna and Sanjay Rout abuses Kangna show the gunda culture of Shiva Sena. Whole country has seen the slackness of Mumbai police in Disha and Sushant cases. The way Mumbai police and uddhav Thakare Goevrnment tried to cover up Rhea Chakravarti ‘s role in Sushant case and its suspicious way of handling Bihar police, clearly shows that not only something is wrong, rather everything is wrong. How drug paddlers are roaming around, and how BMC demolishes the construction by giving 24 hrs notice raise a big question mark on all the three parties Congress, Shiva Sena and NCP. They ahve lost the respect in most of Indians’ eyes.
First of all she never compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. All those people who creating such big fuss about it and dragging whole Maharashtra people into it need to improve their English language grammar skills. Please go and check once again you will find that there is a question mark at the end that means she was asking the question.
Why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan Occupied Kashmir?
Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Big difference in both the sentences.
That’s the way all major newspapers write their headlines with a question mark at the end.. just to make sure it’s not a statement but a thought.
Please stop defending a useless lady and understand your hard earned money that you pay through taxes are being invested on her security for no reason.
First of all she never compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. All those people who creating such big fuss about it and dragging whole Maharashtra people into it need to improve their English language grammar skills. Please go and check once again you will find that there is a question mark at the end that means she was asking the question.
Why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan Occupied Kashmir?
Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Big difference in both the sentences.
The court also said that in case Municipal corporations in some extraordinary situations or for compelling reasons are required to take any such action, they must first get the necessary orders from the court. The restriction on carrying out any demolition, eviction or holding auction of attached properties was later extended by the High Court till September 30, 2020, by an order passed on August 31, 2020. The BMC did not take prior permission from the court as required by the March 19 order. Contempt charges should be slapped against BMC.
Shiv Sena never acted for the welfare of the people. They are bullies and goons. Abusing the power. What a shame that they falling down to this level.
Bal Thackeray whole life made fun of Congress and NCP made mockery of them and now his own power hungry son licking their feet. Shame on him.
Satte sathi gu khalla.
We Marathi people reject any Godfather. We worked hard and survived from generations and we will not allow any so called party take that credit from us.
Tell Shiv Sena that this is not a 1990 and this is old politics now.
They brainwashed and fooled Marathi people for so many years by creating illusion in their mind that they can’t survive without Shiv Sena. They told us that outsiders are taking your jobs and all.
Let me remind them that what Mumbai is today is not only created by Marathi people only but every other Indian contributed to it. Many Marathi people worked for the jobs created by non marathi people not by Shiv Sena.
Lastly I would like to say that Mumbai or Maharashtra is not owned by any particular community because if
Mumbai is in Maharashtra then don’t forget Maharashtra is in India and belongs to all Indian brothers and sisters.
And if they really wants to split and put devision then I ask all the non Mumbai born Marathi people to go out of Mumbai because Mumbai belongs to people like me who are Marathi and born and brought up here.
I am Proud Indian first and wont be broken by any cheap politics. Remember that. Thank you.
Jithe Satya aahe tithe Dharm aahe aani jithe Dharm aahe tithe Ishwar aahe.
Hare Krishna
Fakes Stories Without detail Information.
what was written in High Court (Bombay) order given on 19 Mar 2020.
Your Article is totally defending State Government and MC by giving half knowledge.
First of all she never compared Mumbai to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. All those people who creating such big fuss about it and dragging whole Maharashtra people into it need to improve their English language grammar skills. Please go and check once again you will find that there is a question mark at the end that means she was asking the question.
Why Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan Occupied Kashmir?
Mumbai is feeling like Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
Big difference in both the sentences.
The court also said that in case Municipal corporations in some extraordinary situations or for compelling reasons are required to take any such action, they must first get the necessary orders from the court. The restriction on carrying out any demolition, eviction or holding auction of attached properties was later extended by the High Court till September 30, 2020, by an order passed on August 31, 2020. The BMC did not take prior permission from the court as required by the March 19 order. Contempt charges should be slapped against BMC.
Shiv Sena never acted for the welfare of the people. They are bullies and goons. Abusing the power. What a shame that they falling down to this level.
Bal Thackeray whole life made fun of Congress and NCP made mockery of them and now his own power hungry son licking their feet. Shame on him.
Satte sathi gu khalla.
We Marathi people reject any Godfather. We worked hard and survived from generations and we will not allow any so called party take that credit from us.
Tell Shiv Sena that this is not a 1990 and this is old politics now.
They brainwashed and fooled Marathi people for so many years by creating illusion in their mind that they can’t survive without Shiv Sena. They told us that outsiders are taking your jobs and all.
Let me remind them that what Mumbai is today is not only created by Marathi people only but every other Indian contributed to it. Many Marathi people worked for the jobs created by non marathi people not by Shiv Sena.
Lastly I would like to say that Mumbai or Maharashtra is not owned by any particular community because if
Mumbai is in Maharashtra then don’t forget Maharashtra is in India and belongs to all Indian brothers and sisters.
And if they really wants to split and put devision then I ask all the non Mumbai born Marathi people to go out of Mumbai because Mumbai belongs to people like me who are Marathi and born and brought up here.
I am Proud Indian first and wont be broken by any cheap politics. Remember that. Thank you.
Jithe Satya aahe tithe Dharm aahe aani jithe Dharm aahe tithe Ishwar aahe.
Hare Krishna
Pathetic quoting on this article. Kangana stated , “my mumbai is pok”. In this article it is mentioned like “that mumbai”. Shame on theprint
If Bala Thackeray was alive things would have been great for SS
Intimidating fools…..
two reasons you have not mentioned – pettiness and revenge.
Congrats to all the Indians who have made Kangana Ranaut famous and successful. She is a mirror of what India has become in past seven years.
Shiv Sena will not get elected again bunch of thugs