India, Feb. 16 -- The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has granted prosecution sanction to the police to proceed with an investigation into an FIR concerning alleged encroachments by the Kamla Vihar Sports Club in Kandivali West. The club, whose trustee is former Member of Parliament Gopal Shetty, is situated on a BMC plot designated as a recreational ground. The FIR, registered on January 15 following a complaint from a BMC officer in the R South ward, alleges that the club has made multiple unauthorised alterations and converted parts of the premises for commercial use.

The controversy was first flagged by activist Reji Abraham in 2023, when he observed structural modifications, including the opening of a new restaurant on the ...