After the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) demolished the illegal Mahim mazar, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has demanded the demolition of an alleged illegal dargah in Panvel.
MNS asserted that the encroachment onto the hill began 15 years ago and that the “dargah” is a threat to national security because it is close to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. The party also raised a banner demanding that the State Government demolish the dargah.
According to Yogesh Chille, president and spokesperson for MNS Panvel city, “About one acre of land was encroached upon at a hill in Pargaon village, and a dargah was built. There are additional five or six rooms with tin shed roofs. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has acquired land adjacent to the airport”, he said.
He further added that according to his information, the planning agency had already served notice to remove the illegal structure. “We have written to the police and CIDCO to take action against the illegal shrine immediately”, he said.
It is notable that the illegal structure in Mahim was demolished after MNS chief Raj Thackeray played a clip in his Gudi Padwa address and exposed that an ‘illegal dargah’ has come up off the Mahim coast in Mumbai. He demanded the removal of the illegal structure and said that if it is not demolished immediately, then his party would construct a huge Ganpati temple at the same place.
Taking to Twitter on Friday, Raj Thackeray thanked the Maharashtra government and BMC for their prompt action after he raised the issue. “Jai Maharashtra, Sasneh! In the Gudipadwa meeting of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, I showed the video of the unauthorized shrine built in the sea of Mahim in Mumbai, the unauthorized mosque built without permission in the Hindu settlement of Kupwad in Sangli, and many were shocked. I thank and congratulate Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister/Home Minister Shri. Devendra Fadnavis, Mumbai Police Commissioner Mr. Vivek Phansalkar, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Mr. Iqbal Chehel, Sangli Municipal Commissioner, Collector, and other administrative officers and the employees,” Thackeray tweeted.
Moreover, Thackeray also urged Hindus to be careful as such illegal encroachments according to him are not just encroachments but an attack on religious places.
सस्नेह जय महाराष्ट्र!
— Raj Thackeray (@RajThackeray) March 24, 2023
धर्मांध मुस्लिमांनी मुंबईत माहीमच्या समुद्रात बांधलेल्या अनधिकृत मजारीची, सांगलीत कुपवाडच्या हिंदू वस्तीत परवानगी नसताना अतिक्रमण करून बांधलेल्या अनधिकृत मशिदीची दृश्य मी महाराष्ट्र नवनिर्माण सेनेच्या गुढीपाडवा मेळाव्यात व्हिडिओद्वारे दाखवली आणि अनेकांना… pic.twitter.com/84q0mshbuM
“Such encroachments are going on all over the state before our eyes, please note that this is not just an encroachment but an attack on religious places, if no timely measures are taken, this may cause us trouble in the future. Therefore, every Hindu brother, including the government and administration, must be careful! Thank you!”, the MNS chief added in his tweet written in Marathi.
