NAVI MUMBAI, Nov. 18 -- A row has erupted in Navi Mumbai over Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Amit Thackeray, son of party chief Raj Thackeray, forcibly unveiling a statute of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Nerul that had allegedly been awaiting inauguration for more than six months. The statue was unveiled by Thackeray, accompanied by around 70 MNS workers, on Sunday afternoon, even as the police personnel on duty, clearly outnumbered, looked on. When evening fell, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) turned on the multi-colour lights installed in the premises, which seemed to suggest that all was well. But around 8.30pm on Sunday, the NMMC issued a media statement condemning the forcible opening of the statue, saying its "surroundings are still under construction". Around the same time, the Nerul police also booked Thackeray and other MNS leaders and workers for rioting and unlawful assembly. A defiant Thackeray later told reporters, "My first case is for Maharaj. If fighting for his honour is a crime, I will commit thousands more." Thackeray was visiting Navi Mumbai for some party programmes on Sunday afternoon when he and other MNS leaders and workers stormed the Shivaji memorial site in Sector 1, Nerul, near the Rajiv Gandhi flyover. The large mob pushed past the police and tore down the cloth covering the statute. Thackeray then washed the statue and garlanded it. "From today, the statue is open for public darshan and worship. We will not allow anyone to play with Maharashtra's pride," he said. "The statue was ready but left gathering dust because ministers had no time. This insult had to end," Thackeray said. The NMMC, in the statement released on Sunday evening, said, "The official inauguration will be announced soon. Unveiling without permission is unlawful." It also covered the statue and the canopy housing it again on Monday. Senior inspector Brahmanand Naikwadi said Thackeray, MNS Navi Mumbai president Gajanan Kale, local unit chief Abhijit Desai, and around 70 others had been booked for unlawful assembly, rioting, mischief, and assault on public servants. Kale, also the MNS spokesperson, accused the government of "selective justice," citing the reopening of a pigeon shelter in Mumbai despite a high court order....