Cymbal Clash

Trust the Shiv Sena to turn a non-issue into a major one. With assembly polls just six weeks away and desperate for a "city issue" to mobilise Mumbaikars, it’s raising a ruckus on the Railway Protection Force (RPF) banning bhajans on suburban locals. The ban, under the RPF Act, had come after rail authorities received petitions from some Muslim organisations asking that they too be allowed to sing qawwalis in trains, at the same loud pitch. Sena leaders boarded jam-packed trains one morning occupying precious space, exhorting commuters to sing bhajans throughout the 35-km journey from Borivili to Churchgate. Bhajan groups among long-distance commuters have been a fixture for some time now, but had become a nuisance of late with their bullying for seat-space and the loud racket.