MUMBAI: MNS chief Raj Thackeray on Sunday deleted "The Friendship Files," a 36-minute documentary, citing the request by the Mumbai Police.
The Friendship Files documentary was initially shared by Sabir Bhatia on his social media account; later, a few people also shared it. But they received the complaint from the Mumbai police asking to delete the documentary and threatened action as well.
Then, MNS chief Raj Thackeray reposted this Friendship Files documentary on his social media account on October 22, 2022, and even said Do watch the revealing documentary about the deep friendship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Industrialist Gautam Adani before it gets deleted.
The Friendship Files documentary garnered a huge response on social media with over 4.8 million views on X, formally on Twitter, alone. Then, Mumbai Police on Saturday approached Raj Thackeray, asking him to delete the documentary as it is making their political bosses uncomfortable and insisted to delete it.
Sources said MNS chief Raj Thackeray was awkwardly surprised by the request to delete this 36-minute Friendship Files documentary. "Mr Thackeray did not expect that the Mumbai police would come at his residence and ask him to remove the documentary that posted bravely.
Police continue to press their request; Mr Thackeray said that he can do it and refused to budge. But they shared the powerful message of the consequences of not deleting the documentary and left his residence," said a source who requested anonymity.
Later on Sunday, MNS chief Raj Thackeray voluntarily deleted the documentary, citing the request by the Mumbai police, and said it was deleted out of respect for the Mumbai police. But in reality, Mr. Thackeray succumbed to the pressure and was concerned with escalating future adverse consequences, and followed the order of the Mumbai police by deleting the documentary.
In his social media account, Raj Thackeray wrote a long essay explaining his side of why he deleted the documentary. Mr Thackeray stated, "I shared a documentary by Sabir Bhatia on my social media detailing the long-standing friendship between Gautam Adani and Narendra Modi, and how the Indian industrial landscape is consequently being handed over to Adani.
It garnered over 4.8 million views on Twitter alone and received an overwhelming response on Facebook as well, not to mention the additional, uncounted views from shares by others."
"My intention was for this serious issue to reach the public, and that objective has been achieved. While Sabir Bhatia produced this documentary recently, I had already delivered a major presentation back in January 2026 at Shivtirth in Mumbai, illustrating how the Adani Group is effectively setting out to swallow the entire nation," Raj Thackeray stated.
"Sabeer Bhatia’s documentary received such an overwhelming response that it was only natural for those in power to grow anxious, fearing that their secrets might be exposed. The intensity of this fear must have been significant, as I received a request, conveyed through the Mumbai Police Commissioner, to take it down," MNS chief said.
"The Mumbai and Maharashtra Police forces are among the most efficient in the country, and I have always held them in high regard. Out of respect for the head of the Mumbai Police, I am choosing to honor this request. Therefore, I am deleting the post containing the documentary. The fire has already been ignited," Thackeray concluded
