Warkaris Maharashtra Police baton-charges devotees for flouting entry rules in Alandi temple; Opposition reacts
Pune: Maharashtra Police on Saturday lathi-charged a group of pilgrims near the entrance of the Shree Kshetra temple in Alandi town, 22 km from Pune city, after they got into an argument with the security personnel, media reports said.
On Saturday, hundreds of Warkaris—devotees of the Lord Vithoba—went to the temple for a ceremony in a procession.
According to the gate pass rules of the temple, only 75 people can enter the temple at once.
At least 400 devotees tried to enter the premises together, forcing the police to stop them, NDTV reported.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minster Devendra Fadnavis denied the allegations of the lathi-charge and called it a ‘minor scuffle’, said the report.
Fadnavis said each group is given 75 passes to enter the temple to avoid the repetition of a stampede-like incident that occurred in the same place a year ago.
According to him, the Warkaris broke the barricade and at least 500 of them tried to enter the temple.
The police action has drawn a sharp reaction from the Opposition in the state.
Taking a dig at the Maharashtra government over the incident, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said in a tweet that the Eknath Shinde-led regime's Hindutva mask has fallen off.
"Oh oh.. The pretensions of the Hindutva government exposed.. The mask fell off. How was Aurangzeb behaving differently? Mughals have reincarnated in Maharashtra," read a rough translation of a tweet by senior Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut.
श्री क्षेत्र आळंदी येथे वारकरी बांधवांवर पोलिसांनी लाठीमार केल्याचा प्रकार अत्यंत संतापजनक आहे. वारकरी संप्रदायाचा पाया रचणारे थोर संत ज्ञानेश्वर महाराज यांच्या आळंदीत वारकरी बांधवांचा झालेला हा अपमान अत्यंत निषेधार्ह आहे. वारकरी संप्रदाय, वारकरी बांधव यांच्याबद्दल सरकारची काही… pic.twitter.com/IDtIy1azn3
— Chhagan Bhujbal (@ChhaganCBhujbal) June 11, 2023
NCP's Chaggan Bhujbal tweeted, "The manner in which the police batoned the Warkari brothers in Sri Kshetra Alandi is very outrageous. This insult to the Warkaris in the presence of the great saint Dnyaneshwar Maharaj, who laid the foundation of the Warkari sect, is highly condemnable. Does the government have any responsibility towards the Warkari sect or not?"
श्री क्षेत्र आळंदी येथे वारकरी बांधवांवर पोलिसांनी लाठीमार केल्याचा प्रकार अत्यंत संतापजनक आहे. वारकरी संप्रदायाचा पाया रचणारे थोर संत ज्ञानेश्वर महाराज यांच्या आळंदीत वारकरी बांधवांचा झालेला हा अपमान अत्यंत निषेधार्ह आहे. वारकरी संप्रदाय, वारकरी बांधव यांच्याबद्दल सरकारची काही… pic.twitter.com/IDtIy1azn3
— Chhagan Bhujbal (@ChhaganCBhujbal) June 11, 2023
The Warkaris, pilgrims who embark on a journey from Alandi to the Vithal temple in Pandharpur, began their pilgrimage on June 11.
The commencement of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi from Alandi and Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi from Dehu on June 10 marks the initiation of this major pilgrimage.
It is anticipated that the Warkaris will gather in the sacred town of Pandharpur on the auspicious day of Ashadhi Ekadashi, which falls on June 29.
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