New Delhi: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Mumbai Police demolished a Dargah on the city’s Mahim beach. The action comes after MNS chief Raj Thackeray on March 23 said that a Dargah was built there illegally on encroached land. The Dargah was bulldozed and has invited a political discourse on Hindutva politics in Maharashtra again.
The demolition was done in the presence of heavy police security. The debris was cleared from Mahim beach after the demolition drive.
Maharashtra | Demolition drive started at the encroached site of ‘Dargah’ amid heavy police deployment at Mahim beach in Mumbai after MNS chief Raj Thackeray yesterday alleged that a Dargah is being built here illegally. pic.twitter.com/G0yx2c2Wq2
— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2023
Addressing a public meeting on Gudi Padwa, the MNS leader showed a video of the Dargah built on a small island-like structure and claimed it to be illegal. He claimed that it was not there a couple of years ago and questioned if it was a fish’s Dargah. He even went on to say that if the illegal Mazaar is not demolished, then they would construct a Ganpati temple in the same place.
The video shared by the official handle of MNS shows a few people visiting the alleged Dargah and the tweet asked Mumbai Police and BMC to take an action against it. The party even labelled it as the ‘new Haji Ali’.
संपूर्ण व्हिडीओ : सन्मा. राजसाहेबांनी आज एक अत्यंत महत्त्वाची बाब समोर आणली… सरकारचं/प्रशासनाचं दुर्लक्ष झाल्यावर काय होतं ते पहा… माहीमच्या मगदूम बाबा दर्ग्याच्या इकडे समुद्रात हे अनधिकृत बांधकाम केलं. २ वर्षांपूर्वी हे काहीच नव्हतं. इथे नवीन हाजीअली तयार करणं सुरु आहे.… pic.twitter.com/BQ2CH1NmCb
— MNS Adhikrut – मनसे अधिकृत (@mnsadhikrut) March 22, 2023
Raj Thackeray also asked the ‘Constitution-abiding Muslims’ to condemn this Dargah. He also said that the ‘illegal Dargah’ was near the Dargah of Makhdum Baba in Mahim.
Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar said that Raj Thackeray raised the issue which was earlier raised by Balasaheb Thackeray. He added that the proceedings were initiated under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and permission under the CRZ is required for any construction in the area.
Now there is a government that walks on the path of Balasaheb Thackeray. Raj Thackeray raised the issue which was earlier raised by Balasaheb Thackeray. Proceedings have been initiated under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) and if any kind of construction has to be done in the… pic.twitter.com/MDSdJxMtSe
— ANI (@ANI) March 23, 2023
