Warkari devotees face lathicharge in Maharashtra, opposition slams police

Mumbai: Warkari devotees who tried to force their way into a temple in Pandharpur were lathicharged by the Maharashtra police. The tradition only allows 75 members to enter the premises but today around 400 people tried to enter and this resulted in an argument and later lathicharge.

The incident took place in the Shree Kshetra temple in Alandi.

The Warkaris are pilgrims who go from Alandi to the Vithal temple. They are expected to converge in the sacred town of Pandharpur on the auspicious day of Ashadhi Ekadashi on June 29. The walk started on June 11. This is the first time Warkaris, devotees of Lord Vithoba, a form of Lord Krishna, have faced lathicharge.

Opposition parties slammed the action. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut tweeted: "Oh oh.. The pretensions of the Hindutva government exposed.. The mask fell off. How was Aurangzeb behaving differently? Mughals have reincarnated in Maharashtra."

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 Warkari sect or not?"