Day after clash,producers cancel Sunday show

On Thursday evening,the NCP and Congress activists had created ruckus when the show was on. This led to clash between the Sena and Congress-NCP workers. “We had anticipated trouble and deployed Sainiks to deal with them,” said a Sena activist. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I,Thane) D Y Mandlik said,“We had arrested 52 activists of Congress and NCP. They were later released.”

The drama has mired in controversies since its inception. It has been authored by Pradeep Dalvi and produced by Uday Dhurat’s Maauli Production. “In 1999,the drama was banned by the state government on the pretext that it could possibly lead to law and order problem. It was then challenged in the High Court with the support of late Sena leader Anand Dighe. The court then lifted the ban,” said director Vinay Apte. Even after this,a bus carrying the artistes had been torched by Congress activists in Mulund. “Despite this,the production company staged 627 shows. It is only in Thane that we see this opposition.”

However,later the producers have got support from the Shiv Sena for staging the play.

“How can one justify the killing of Gandhi…..the drama justifies it. If one considers right to expression,then another drama justifying actions of 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab will also come up,” said Jitendra Awhad NCP MLA frm Kalwa-Mumbra.

In June 2008,the Sanatan Sanstha activists had engineered a low-intensity blasts in Thane in Gadkari Rangayatan against to condemn a play called Amphi Pachpute that ridiculed Draupadi. In December,when Thane hosted Marathi Sahitya Sammelan,there was a controversy over cropping of Godse’s name in the souvenir that praised him.