Spate of attacks on theatres across city forces police to up security cover.
Shiv Sena’s blades are out for the latest Shah Rukh Khan-starrer — literally. Screens were damaged on Tuesday as — despite the Sena’s proclamations that it would allow My Name Is Khan (MNIK) to be released peacefully in the state — Mumbai witnessed a spate of attacks on theatres and multiplexes. The violence was a protest against the opening of advance bookings for the movie.
Police officials have arrested over 380 Shiv Sainiks allegedly involved in the incidents. The theatres attacked include Mehul in Mulund, Huma Adlabs near Kanjurmarg railway station and Big Cinemas (Metro) while demonstrations took place at other locations.
Local police stations have been put on alert and asked to keep a close eye on activities of Shiv Sainiks in their respective jurisdictions, said a senior police officer, adding that troublemakers would be picked up under preventive sections.
Security measures were put in place early on Tuesday, with heavy police deployment outside theatres and multiplexes across the city after the attacks started in Mulund and Kanjurmarg.
The mayhem began around noon, when 30 to 40 Shiv Sainiks attacked the Mehul theatre. They broke the glass of the window which was accepting advance bookings of the film as well as the frames enclosing posters of MNIK. A staffer of Mehul cinema said, “They barged into the theatre armed with sticks and bamboos shouting slogans against the film; the rampage went on for nearly twenty minutes.” Ganesh Lodha, manager, Mehul cinema, said, “Our staffers were not injured but the entrance and booking windows were damaged.”
The second attack was on the Huma Adlabs multiplex near the Kanjurmarg railway station where 16 Shiv Sainiks bought tickets for a Three Idiots show. Once inside, they shouted slogans against Shah Rukh Khan and tried to damage the screen using a blade that they were carrying with them.
Later in the day, at around 5:30pm, Santosh Mane, a 38-year-old Sena activist, not only managed to sneak into Big Cinema (Metro), just a stone’s throw away from the Mumbai police headquarters, but also damage the screen using a blade. He had bought tickets for the movie Striker. “After the movie got over, Mane went near the screen and tore it with a blade which he had concealed,” said police inspector Pradeep Londe of Azad Maidan police station.
Even though Mane claimed that he was alone, the police suspect that there were three more activists involved. The police are on the lookout for them.
On how Mane managed to sneak in with a blade, a police official said, “If a heavy metal is being carried through a metal detector, there is a specific indication. But if the metal is of low gauge, such as a coin, watch or mobile phone, the indication is of a different nature and the frisking is not very strict in those cases.”
Meanwhile, around thirty to forty Sainiks staged a demonstration at
R Mall complex in Mulund but could not do any damage as police officials reached the spot and arrested them. Similarly, at Shreyas Cinema in Mulund and Neelyog, R City Mall and Jai Ganesh in Ghatkopar, Sainiks staged demonstrations but could do any damage due to the police bandobast at these places.
Additional commissioner of police, East Region, Ritesh Kumar told DNA earlier on Tuesday that they “have picked up around 206 Shiv Sainiks and the process is still on. Police staff has been posted at these places; also, state reserve police force (SRPF) companies will be deployed to avoid any such attacks in future”.
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