Mumbai:
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale met today with Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari seeking “justice” and compensation for Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, whose office in Mumbai was partially taken down by the civic body.
Ramdas Athawale said he told the governor that Kangana Ranaut received a notice and within 24 hours the demolition was carried out on Wednesday by the Shiv Sena-controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) while she was not in town.
The State Minister for Social Justice had met with the actress at her residence in Mumbai Khar on Thursday and told her not to be afraid while in the city.
“I had talks with the governor for 20-25 minutes (at Raj Bhavan). We discussed the issue related to Kangana Ranaut. Injustice was imposed on her,” Athawale told reporters after the meeting.
Alleging that the BMC also broke furniture in Ms. Ranaut’s office during the demolition campaign, he accused the civic body of abusing its powers.
“I asked the governor to ensure that Kangana Ranaut receives justice and compensation,” Athawale said.
Shiv Sena, who heads the alliance government in the state, and Kangana Ranaut had engaged in a war of words after she compared Mumbai to Pakistani-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and said she feared the Mumbai police more than the supposed movie mafia.
Using a bulldozer and excavators, a BMC team demolished alterations allegedly made without civic body approval at Ms. Ranaut’s Pali Hill bungalow on Wednesday morning.
The actor arrived in town the same day after the demolition.
Ramdas Athawale’s party – RPI (A) had supported the actress and offered her security at the Mumbai airport when she returned to the city amid slogans from Shiv Sena workers.
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