Mira-Bhayandar opposition leader tears copy of new house SOP before mayor

A sharp political row broke out at the general body meeting of the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation over the standard operating procedure (SOP) recently drawn up for the House. Leader of the Opposition Afreen Sayyed strongly opposed the rules. Taking an aggressive stand in the House, she tore the copy of the SOP to pieces in front of the mayor. The mood in the meeting turned heated.

The SOP follows an incident on October 16, when some people entered the visitors' gallery during the general body meeting and created a disturbance, obstructing the proceedings. The administration then framed a separate SOP covering control of entry to the meeting, security arrangements and crowd management. Issued on November 8, 2026, the rules fix the responsibilities of citizens, journalists, security personnel and the administrative departments concerned.

The dispute is over certain provisions. Citizens must now submit a written application three days in advance to watch the proceedings. Entry passes will be issued only after prior permission from the mayor or the presiding officer. The opposition objects to these provisions.

Under the new SOP, citizens wishing to attend must apply in writing in person to the municipal secretary at least three days before the meeting. For special meetings and adjourned meetings, the application must be made 48 hours in advance. The power to accept or reject an application rests with the mayor, who is the presiding officer, or the municipal secretary.

Passes will also be issued only according to the seating capacity available in the House. The general body meeting works in two sessions, before and after the lunch break, so the application must also state which session the citizen wishes to attend. If there is no room in the first session, entry will be given in the second. The opposition's objection is that ordinary citizens will have to seek permission in advance even to watch the work of their elected representatives.

A separate entry pass system has also been put in place for journalists. Their official identity cards will be checked and confirmed with the media organisation concerned. The number of journalists' passes will be fixed, and a separate register will be kept. The rules also say that permission is required to record or broadcast the proceedings live. Recording, photography or obstruction of proceedings without permission will invite action under the applicable law, and those concerned may be barred from attending the general body meeting.

Sayyed opposed the rules, which place controls on the entry of citizens and journalists. At the heart of the dispute is the argument that in a democracy, citizens have an important right to watch the proceedings of their municipal corporation and journalists have a right to report on them. In her anger, she tore the SOP copy in front of the mayor and voiced strong protest against the administration's new rules. The clash between the ruling side and the opposition in the general body meeting has once again come into focus.

The administration has clarified in its SOP that the process of applying in advance for entry does not limit the legal right of citizens to public access. It will now be important to see how the rules are implemented, on what grounds citizens' applications are accepted or rejected, and how much freedom journalists get to report.