Every Sunday, the Jalsa gates open just wide enough for Mumbai to glimpse its very own tallest living legend. Amitabh Bachchan comes out, raises a hand and the crowd that’s been waiting answers with the usual roar. Last Sunday, the hand was raised behind a sheet of bulletproof glass.
The glass wasn’t there the week prior. It appeared after an email got to Mayor Ritu Tawde on 23 October.
The email listed two targets: Bachchan’s house in Juhu and the stage where Diljit Dosanjh is scheduled to perform on 27 November. It also stated that a bomb would go off in the Mayor’s own chamber at BMC HQ at precisely 3.11 pm. The building was cleared, and police found nothing.
The same email, copied to Deputy Mayor Sanjay Ghadi, warned of a grenade attack on a school on 31 October and referred to “Khalistan”. It went on to state that Jalsa would be in range between the end of October and the concert date.
City authorities have quietly but clearly increased security. More cameras and staff now stand guard at the Mayor’s office, the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, major schools, and every address on the threat list. For Bachchan, the new glass is the clearest sign of these changes.
For everyone else, it is just the first step in a period of extra vigilance that will last at least until the end of the month. The Sunday ritual continues as usual, with the barrier serving as the only visible sign that someone has decided the ritual is now a risk.