Maharashtra govt, Oppn spar over claims of lathi charge on warkaris in Alandi

Clashes erupted between pilgrims and police in Alandi, India, as Dyaneshwar Maharaj's palanquin began its annual procession to Pandharpur.

Mumbai: As Dyaneshwar Maharaj’s palanquin from Alandi to Pandharpur commenced for the annual ‘wari’, a clash erupted between ‘warkaris’ (pilgrims) and the police over entry to the Alandi temple.

lathi charge on warkaris in Alandi

Opposition parties claimed that the police had resorted to lathi charge on the pilgrims and demanded a high-level probe. However, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the home minister, called it a minor skirmish and said that nobody should play politics in this matter.

The journey of Saint Dyaneshwar Maharaj’s palanquin began early on Sunday from Alandi, a small town in Pune. Thousands of devotees had gathered to witness and participate in this sacred procession.

As last year there had been a stampede with several women getting injured, this year only 47 groups were selected for darshan inside the temple with a maximum of 75 pilgrims per group.

However, hundreds of pilgrims gathered outside the temple demanding entry. When the police tried to prevent some of them from going in, a clash broke out.

It is alleged that the police then resorted to mild lathi charge on the pilgrims. Videos of police controlling the mob with lathis went viral leading to an uproar among warkaris and elicited a strong political reaction.

Opposition parties criticised the Shinde-Fadanvis government over the incident. The leader of the Opposition Ajit Pawar, of the NCP, condemned the state government over the incident.

“This is an unfortunate incident. An incident like this at such a sacred place has never happened in the history of Maharashtra. This could have been avoided through proper planning by the government and the administration,” said Pawar.

Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut expressed anger over the incident. He criticised the government and compared it with the regime of Mughal king Aurangzeb.

“The Shinde-Fadnavis government used to pretend to be a pro-Hindutva government but today they were exposed. The mask is down. How are they different from Aurangzeb? The Mughal rule has come back to Maharashtra,” said Raut.

Congress state president Nana Patole demanded strict action. “Shinde-Fadnavis government has failed in punishing the culprits of riots but has attacked warkari’s by ordering lathi charge at Alandi. We condemn the government for this lathi charge. The government should order a high-level inquiry and strict action should be taken against the concerned officers,” demanded Patole.

Fadnavis, however, denied that there was lathi charge at Alandi. “In order to control the mob as a preventive measure, it was decided to limit the number of attendees to 75 people. But hundreds of people gathered there and tried to enter and when police tried to prevent them from entering, a minor skirmish broke out. It was not a lathi charge. No one should bring politics into this,” said Fadnavis.