Shiv Sena pays Rs 5 lakh for Bal Thackeray`s funeral expenses

Zee Media Bureau

Mumbai: Annoyed by the reports of using civic funds to pay for Bal Thackeray`s funeral last year, the Shiv Sena on Thursday sent a Rs 5 lakh cheque to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to cover the funeral expenses. Mumbai Mayor Sunil Prabhu rejected the reports that BMC spent taxpayers` money on the funeral of Bal Thackeray in November last year. Sunil Prabhu said in a statement that the party had agreed to bear all the expenses connected with the funeral. He refuted recent reports suggesting that the civic body was attempting to burden the citizens of Mumbai by bearing the funeral expenses for the late Shiv Sena chief. To ensure everything went off peacefully, the MCGM and Mumbai police had, at short notice, made massive arrangements like barricades, installing CCTVs at various locations en route to the funeral and at Shivaji Park, erecting giant LCD screens to enable all people view the ceremonies and other details. Bal Thackeray died last year due to prolonged illness. The cremation ceremony happened in the presence of around 20 two million people. Over 20,000 policemen, 15 companies of State Reserve Police Force and three contingents of Rapid Action Force were deployed on the procession route. A contingent of Mumbai police had given a 21-gun salute and buglers sounded the last post in the state funeral, a rare honour for someone who had never held any official position.