The Bhayandar police registered an FIR against 26 to 30 devotees for allegedly breaking the gate of a natural lake in Rai Village and performing Ganpati Visarjan there on August 28, during the 1.5-day visarjan.

The complaint was filed by Yogesh Gunijan, assistant municipal commissioner (AMC) of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC).

This year, MBMC set up 35 artificial ponds across Mira-Bhayandar for idol immersions and locked natural lakes to prevent water pollution, also putting up banners prohibiting visarjan. Despite this, residents of Rai Village demanded permission to use their lake and told the civic body they would not immerse idols in artificial ponds.