Sainiks perform aarti to protest demolition

Hundreds gathered at the crowded Kabutarkhana area in Dadar after BMC's demolition notice for a Hanuman temple

Sainiks perform aarti to protest demolition

Hundreds gathered at the crowded Kabutarkhana area in Dadar after BMC's demolition notice for a Hanuman temple

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Last night around eight, over a hundred Shiv Sainiks thronged the busy area of Kabutarkhana in Dadar to perform a religious ritual the maha aarti.

Police disperse the crowd gathered outside the Hanuman temple at Kabutarkhana

The ceremony, which disrupted all traffic and attracted curious passers-by, further clogging the Bhavani Shankar Road which passes through the area, was arranged after a demolition notice was issued for a temple in the region.

The Hanuman temple, which stands in the middle of the road, is said to be 90 years old.

According to the Sainiks, the demolition department of the BMC had stuck the notice on the temple's wall that very morning, ordering its trustees to demolish it, or be prepared for the BMC to do it.

The Sainiks reacted to what they thought was a "high-handed" notice with impulsive action.

Under the guidance of party leader Vinayak Raut, they assembled at Kabutarkhana around 8 pm, and began performing the aarti in the middle of the road, to protest the structure's flattening.

Less than an hour later, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone V) Aswathi Dorje, who was on duty, arrived at the scene and commanded the crowd to disperse.

After heated arguments with the Sainiks, including former mayor Milind Vaidya, the DCP threatened to lathicharge the protesters. Following the order, the crowd dispersed.

But it warned of gathering again for a similar mega ritual all across the city. The spectacle lasted until 10 pm.

"We are going to perform the maha aarti all over the city under the guidance of party leadership.
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The temple was constructed by Prabodhankar Thackeray in 1920 and was registered on August 8, 1952. The BMC cannot demolish it," said Vinayak Raut, senior party leader.

Sainiks claim that the Corporation should have given the notice to the temple's trustees, instead of pasting it on the wall, and given them time to respond to it.

Reportedly, the BMC had issued demolition notices for the
temple twice on previous occasions but hadn't carried out any action.

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