Rival Shiv Sena factions hold ‘Ghanta Naad’ protest at Kalyan’s Durgadi Fort, BJP neta detained

KALYAN: Members of the rival Shiv Sena factions led by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday staged the annual “Ghanta Naad Andolan” near the historic Durgadi Fort in Kalyan, amid tight police security and political sparring between the two camps.

The Durgadi Fort houses places of worship for both Hindus and Muslims. Every year during Bakri Eid, a large number of Muslims gather at the Idgah section inside the fort premises to offer namaz. To avoid any law and order issues, the district administration temporarily restricts entry of Hindu devotees to the Durga temple located on the front side of the fort during the prayer timings.

Opposing the restriction, Shiv Sena has been organising the symbolic “Ghanta Naad Andolan” since 1982. During Thursday’s protest, workers from both the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction attempted to move towards the temple by crossing police barricades installed near the fort, but were stopped by security personnel.

The protest by the Shinde faction was led by Thane district president Gopal Landge along with senior leaders Ravi Patil and Mahesh Gaikwad. The UBT faction’s agitation was led by party deputy leader Vijay Salvi and Kalyan city president Bala Parab.

However, the event also witnessed sharp exchanges between the two Sena factions. Taking a swipe at the ruling Shiv Sena faction, UBT leader Vijay Salvi said the movement was started by late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe in 1982 and was later represented for years by Eknath Shinde himself.


“Today Shinde is the deputy chief minister and part of the government, yet his own administration is restricting Hindu devotees from entering the temple. Their participation in the protest now only exposes their duplicate Hindutva,” Salvi alleged, while also accusing the BJP of indulging in “political drama”.

For the first time, BJP leaders had also announced participation in the agitation this year. BJP corporator Mahesh Patil had warned that if devotees were stopped from entering the temple during namaz, he would recite the Hanuman Chalisa on the road. However, police detained him from his residence before the protest began.

Additional commissioner of police Sanjay Jadhav said the temporary restriction during Eid prayers has been in place for years and adequate security arrangements were deployed to maintain law and order.