Immersion clash in Sangli takes political turn after airport drama

Mumbai BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde was detained at Mumbai airport on Monday and prevented from flying to Kolhapur, from where he would have travelled to the communally tense towns of Miraj and Sangli. This sparked a protest by his supporters at the airport, leading to a lathicharge by the police.
The former Deputy Chief Minister later decided to travel by road instead.
Mumbai airport officials said he had taken a boarding pass for Kingfisher Airlines’ flight IT 4113 to Kolhapur at 10.05 am. However, citing the communal trouble in Miraj and Sangli and prohibitory orders by local authorities in Kolhapur, police officials prevented him from boarding the flight.
“Munde started protesting at the terminal, saying he had a right to fly anywhere in the country,” said an airport official. Munde was soon joined by thousands of supporters. BJP leader Kirit Somaiya threatened to disrupt airport activities if Munde was not allowed to fly. “The protesters tried to barge in through the departure gate 1, which had to be closed for about two to five minutes. Passengers had to use the other departure gate,” said a spokesperson for the Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).
08/09/09 ExpressIndia

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Categories: Airports Sep 2009, Kingfisher Sep 2009