Pilgrims Lathicharged, Says Maharashtra Opposition. D Fadnavis Denies It

New Delhi:

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has dismissed allegations from the Opposition that the police used lathicharge to disperse devotees at a Pune temple ahead of a ceremonial procession. While Opposition parties demanded a high-level probe and strict action, Mr Fadnavis claimed it was "only a little altercation".

'Warkaris' -- devotees of Lord Vitthal -- were rushing to enter the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Samadhi Mandir in Alandi town, 22 km from Pune city, during the procession which is part of the annual Ashadhi Ekadashi pilgrimage to Pandharpur Alandi town in Pune district.

Mr Fadnavis said his government, keeping in mind a stampede-like situation last year at the same place, tried to regulate the crowd by giving out a fixed number of passes, 75, to each group that was participating in the pilgrimage.

However, some 400–500 youths insisted that they would participate in the pilgrimage and won't follow the decision on the restricted allotment of entry passes, the deputy chief minister said, which led to minor clashes with the police.

"They broke the barricades and the police tried to stop them, during which some police personnel were injured," Mr Fadnavis said.

This decision (of allotting a limited number of entry passes) was taken after a joint meeting with the principal district judge, the charity commissioner and the heads of various groups as part of the preparation for the pilgrimage. It was not a new decision of the police, Mr Fadnavis added, according to news agency PTI.

"The situation has come under control and discussions are going on. I have taken serious cognisance of the incident, but I appeal to the media houses not to blow up the situation through wrong reporting. There is no need to play with the emotions of the people," he told reporters in Nagpur.

Hitting out at the Opposition, Mr Fadnavis said his party, which was in the Opposition last year when a stampede happened, did not indulge in politics at that time but learned and tried to improve instead.

"I pity the politicians who try to politicise the issue," he said.

Police had made elaborate arrangements and held meetings with temple trustees to prevent any untoward incident, Commissioner of Pimpri-Chinchwad, Vinay Kumar Choubey, had said.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) working president Supriya Sule and Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole claimed warkaris were lathi-charged by the police and condemned the incident.