TNI Bureau: The man, who ruled Mumbai for decades, is no more. Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who was known as Hindu Hriday Samrat, breathed his last at Matoshree this afternoon at the age of 86. The end came at 3:30 PM. Mumbai comes to a complete halt, as the news of Bal Thackeray’s demise reached the people. All shops and business establishments in Mumbai have been shut down.
The Shiv Sena supremo was suffering from several ailments for the last few months. His conditions worsened in the past few days. He was later put on life support system. Although it was reported that he was recovering fast, the doctors could not revive him despite the best efforts.
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During his demise, Bal Thackeray was attended by his son Uddhav Thackeray, grandson Aditya Thackeray, daughter-in-law Smitha Thackeray and nephew Raj Thackeray. Thousands of Shiv Sena cadres have gathered outside Matoshree. His body would be put on display at Shivaji Park from 7 AM tomorrow so that the people can pay their last respect to the departed soul. The funeral will be held tomorrow afternoon. Procession will begin at 10 AM tomorrow. Over 20,000 policemen have been deployed across Mumbai to maintain law and order.
President Dr. Pranab Mukherjee, PM Dr. Manmohan Singh, BJP leaders Nitin Gadkari, LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Narendra Modi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan, Big B Amitabh Bachchan, leading singer Lata Mangeshkar, the entire Bollywood and many others have condoled his death. An era in Maharashtra Politics came to an end with the demise of Bal Thackeray. The PM’s dinner with BJP leaders has been cancelled.