A temporary bulletproof glass barrier outside actor Amitabh Bachchan’s residence in Mumbai’s Juhu area was removed on Sunday, November 8, after it had been installed following a reported bomb threat. The decision has triggered a political dispute over the security of Bollywood personalities and the state of law and order in Maharashtra.
Bachchan resumed his long-running practice of greeting fans outside his bungalow, Jalsa, without the protective glass that had separated him from the crowd in recent days. His son, Abhishek Bachchan, stood beside him while private security personnel and senior Mumbai Police officials were present, according to the report.
The additional protection had reportedly been put in place after Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde received an email threatening a bomb attack at Bachchan’s home. The report does not provide details of any police investigation into the email or say whether authorities had publicly confirmed the threat.
The removal of the barrier became the focus of criticism from Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant. He questioned whether the security arrangement had been withdrawn because the threat had ended or because its continued presence could create an unfavourable impression about the government’s handling of celebrity security.
Sawant said that removing the barrier did not mean fear had disappeared among people in the film industry. He also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to ensure a safer environment for the film industry. His comments referred to threats allegedly associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and criticised the security record of the BJP governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, which is led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
BJP MLA Ram Kadam rejected the Congress’s allegations. He said the bulletproof partition had been installed only temporarily and accused the opposition of turning its removal into a political controversy. Kadam also denied that the barrier had been taken down because of government pressure and said Congress leaders were using a well-known actor to advance a political agenda.
The dispute comes against a backdrop of reported threats involving Bollywood figures. The report recalls an October 18 shooting in Mumbai’s Juhu area in which two gunmen allegedly fired five rounds at actor Tiger Shroff’s car. Shroff was not injured, but his driver and another person identified as a vlogger were reportedly hurt.
The competing statements have not established whether the threat to Bachchan’s residence was formally assessed as no longer active, nor what security review preceded the removal of the glass barrier. The immediate public record, as reported, consists of the observed change outside Jalsa, the earlier reported threat and the opposing claims by Congress and the BJP.
