Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis has dismissed the allegations leveled by the opposition parties that Pune police had lathi-charged the Warkaris (devotees of Lord Vitthal).
A faceoff reportedly erupted between varkaris, devotees of Lord Vitthal who is a reincarnation of Bhagwan Vishnu, and the Maharashtra police in Pune’s Alandi town on Sunday.
Addressing the media, Fadnavis said that a “minor scuffle” has been “sensationalized by some media reports.” He also mentioned that some police officials also sustained minor injuries in the incident.
Fadnavis added that around 400-500 youths decided to not follow the restricted entry system and insisted on participating in the pilgrimage and broke the barricades. The Home Minister added that police tried to stop the devotees which led to some police personnel getting injured in the process.
In Alandi, a large crowd of devotees had arrived to pay obeisance, like every year, at the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Samadhi Mandir. There are 47 entrances to the temple. 75 varkaris from each dindi (group) are allowed inside. Varkaris who were not allowed inside also demanded entry which reportedly led to the scuffle.
According to Commissioner of Pimpri Chinchwad, Vinay Kumar Choubey, “Police had made elaborate arrangements and held meetings with temple trustees to prevent any untoward incident. While the police were sending batches of 75 devotees at a time, a few people breached the barricades and tried to enter the temple.”
In the video, a sea of devotees can be seen cramped up in narrow lanes, breaching the barricades and attempting to rush past the police to enter the temple. The audio can also be heard wherein a man (likely a temple representative) appeals to the devotees to maintain peace and calm.
