A condolence meeting organised in memory of senior Congress leader and former minister Anantrao Thopte at Balgandharva Auditorium on Saturday evening witnessed a brief disruption after it exceeded its scheduled time, prompting audience members waiting for the next programme to enter the hall and demand that the event be concluded.
Senior leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Balasaheb Thorat and representatives from various political parties, were present at the all-party tribute meeting organised to pay homage to Thopte, who passed away recently.
According to civic officials, organisers were allotted the auditorium to hold the condolence meeting from 5 pm to 8 pm. However, the programme ran beyond the scheduled time, creating a conflict with a Marathi play scheduled to be staged at the venue later in the evening.
As the delay continued, ticket holders for the play entered the auditorium and raised slogans, demanding that the tribute programme be wrapped up so that the performance could begin.
Civic officials said they had requested the organisers of the play to postpone the show by an hour to accommodate the condolence meeting. However, the information was allegedly not communicated to the audience in advance, leading to confusion and unrest at the venue.
Ramesh Kamathe, officer incharge, Balgandharva Auditorium, said, “We had allotted the auditorium for the tribute meeting and requested the organisers of the play to delay the show by an hour. However, the audience was apparently not informed about the change. The booking receipt for the play was issued in the name of Balasaheb Thackeray Kala Dalan, but the condolence meeting was scheduled at Balgandharva Auditorium. We will take necessary precautions in future to avoid such incidents.”
{{/usCountry}}Ramesh Kamathe, officer incharge, Balgandharva Auditorium, said, “We had allotted the auditorium for the tribute meeting and requested the organisers of the play to delay the show by an hour. However, the audience was apparently not informed about the change. The booking receipt for the play was issued in the name of Balasaheb Thackeray Kala Dalan, but the condolence meeting was scheduled at Balgandharva Auditorium. We will take necessary precautions in future to avoid such incidents.”
{{/usCountry}}The situation was eventually brought under control, and both programmes were completed without any further disruption.