Maharashtra Police baton-charges devotees for flouting entry rules in Alandi temple; Opposition reacts

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.

"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.

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?" 

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.