In a significant development, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councilor Manohar Dumbre and his wife Bhavana Dumbre have been charged today with defacing public property. The couple, allegedly put up unauthorized posters and banners across Thane city, violating the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995. The FIR was filed by Smita Lakshman Surve, a 56-year-old office superintendent at the Majiwada- Manpada Ward of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC).
According to the FIR filed at Kasarvadavali police station, municipal staff discovered multiple unauthorized banners and flexes measuring approximately 6x8 feet in various locations across the ward, including under the Patlipada Bridge and near Rutu Estate Circle on Ghodbunder Road.
The banners, which advertised a free eye and health check-up camp organized by the Arpan Foundation Trust, prominently displayed the names and contact details of Manohar Dumbre, described as a former BJP corporator, and Bhavana Dumbre, identified as the chairperson of the Arpan Foundation. Municipal officials, accompanied by two witnesses, documented the violations and removed the unauthorised advertisements.
The investigation revealed that the posters were placed without the required permissions from the Thane Municipal Corporation, leading to the defacement of public property and harming the city’s visual appeal. Following this discovery, evidence, including photographs of the posters, was gathered, and a detailed report was prepared. Subsequently, a formal complaint was filed at the Kasarvadavali Police Station against the Dumbre couple under Sections 3 and 4 of the Maharashtra Prevention of Defacement of Property Act, 1995.
Further investigations are underway to ensure compliance with municipal regulations and to prevent such violations in the future.