Mumbai, Nov 20 — Mumbai police have filed an FIR against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray and party leaders Sachin Ahir and Sunil Shinde for the purported ‘illegal inauguration’ of the Delisle Road bridge in Lower Parel, South Central Mumbai. The complaint was lodged by a road department official, Purushottam P. Ingle of the Bombay Municipal Corporation, after the leaders, along with legislators, ex-Mayors, and party workers, symbolically inaugurated the bridge in public interest.
The trio—Thackeray, Ahir, and Shinde—have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for alleged trespassing and removing barricades without the prior permission of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The incident occurred late Thursday night when an unauthorized crowd reportedly stormed the bridge.
While no arrests have been made yet, the police investigation is ongoing. The BMC Commissioner, I. S. Chahal, had earlier announced that the civic body would file a complaint against Aditya Thackeray and others involved in the ‘unauthorized inauguration.’ The BMC authorities raised concerns about the potential risks of inaugurating a bridge that is not fully completed or certified, emphasizing the possibility of mishaps or accidents.
The Delisle Road bridge, which had been shut down in July 2018 due to safety concerns, has undergone reconstruction, but delays have plagued the project over the past five years. The bridge plays a crucial role in connecting Lower Parel to Worli, Prabhadevi, Byculla, Reay Road, and other areas in the east-west side of South Mumbai, alleviating traffic congestion on these routes.
