Thackeray's ardent followers had set up huge posters of Thackeray's ardent followers had set up huge posters of their leader and kept vigil at the spot to ensure the structure was not removed by the municipal authorities. Sena MP Sanjay Raut had even equated the edifice to Ayodhya and said, "The sanctity of the place should be maintained. It is like a temple for us and we won't remove the structure that has come up at the cremation site." As defiant Shiv Sainiks refused to vacate the spot, Municipal Commissioner Sitaram Kunte had on the night of December 3 served an ultimatum to Mayor Prabhu and Sanjay Raut to remove the structure. "The purpose for which the site was allotted (for Thackeray's cremation) is over. Therefore, we have asked both Prabhu and Raut to remove the structure immediately or face legal consequences," Kunte had told PTI days after Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan virtually rejected the demand, saying the government would not do anything in violation of the law. Shivaji Park has been declared a silence zone by the Bombay High Court. PTI VT DK SK ZMN
