Shiv Sainiks remove Thackeray's 'memorial' from Shivaji Park

Mumbai, Dec 18: A month after Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray was cremated, his party workers on Tuesday removed the temporary structure at the funeral spot at Shivaji Park which had become a makeshift memorial for his followers.

The process to remove the structure began around midnight in the presence of Mayor Sunil Prabhu and senior Sena leaders including party group leader in Assembly Subhash Desai and was completed three hours later. Curtains were put up around the structure and a soil extractor machine was used for removal after which the debris was put in a truck.

Although the process which went on after 3 AM, was largely peaceful, police foiled a bid by zealous Shiv Sainiks to erect a memorial of the Sena patriarch adjacent to the Shivaji statue at the park. Media was prevented by Sainiks from filming the structure removal. Meanwhile, Sena sources said the party which, along with BJP, controls BMC was likely to press for an alternate memorial spot in the civic body meeting.

Senior Sena leader Ramdas Kadam, who paid homage at the site yesterday had said, "Uddhav Thackeray will keep his words given to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan (on removal of the make-shift memorial)." The Shiv Sena patriarch had died on Nov 17. Party's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut had last week spoken about shifting the make-shift memorial on Dec 17.

PTI