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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- General
- Hindustan Times
No rift among Ganesh mandals, all decisions being taken collectively: Pune police chief
Dismissing circulating rumours of internal disputes, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Tuesday said there is complete harmony and cooperation among all Ganesh mandals in the city ahead of the upcoming Ganeshotsav. During the meeting, several Ganesh mandals raised concerns over late-night congestion and prolonged processions, urging the authorities to allow early and well-organised immersions. (HT) 'There is absolutely no dispute among any of the Ganesh mandals. Claims of disagreements or rifts are completely false and part of a fake narrative being spread on social media and elsewhere,' Kumar told reporters after a coordination meeting with mandal representatives. The commissioner emphasised that all key decisions—including immersion routes, procession timings, and related arrangements—are being made collectively, through respectful dialogue. 'We are in constant coordination with all mandals, including the five maanache Ganpati. Everyone is working together to ensure a peaceful and successful festival,' he added. During the meeting, several Ganesh mandals raised concerns over late-night congestion and prolonged processions, urging the authorities to allow early and well-organised immersions. A key proposal discussed was implementing a 'one mandal, one dhol pathak' policy to avoid overcrowding and delays. Mandal representatives also suggested that if the five maanache Ganpati begin their immersion early in the day—preferably completing it by noon—the rest could follow smoothly, easing overall congestion. In recent years, Pune's Ganesh immersion processions have stretched for over 20 to 30 hours, causing fatigue, mismanagement, and logistical issues. Some mandals also requested that their processions be allowed to pass early through Laxmi Road, a central immersion route, to help streamline the overall sequence. Kumar said, 'We have taken note of all the suggestions. After wider consultation, we will take an appropriate decision.' Shrikant Shete, president of the Kasba Ganpati Mandal, said the meeting was productive and all suggestions were received positively. 'All mandals are equal—there is no special treatment or discrimination. Numbers have been given as part of the system, and mandals participating on routes like Laxmi Road, Tilak Road, Kumthekar Road, and Shivaji Road will jointly take decisions acceptable to all,' he said. Mahesh Suryavanshi, treasurer of Shreemant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati, added that all mandals will meet again in the next few days to finalise arrangements. 'Pune's Ganesh festival has a long and proud tradition. We are committed to upholding that legacy and setting an example for mandals across the state,' he said. According to police officials, discussions in the meeting also covered the number of Dhol-Tasha Pathaks, VIP movement, and steps to curtail procession duration and manage crowds more efficiently.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Several Pune city mandals request earlier start for their visarjan procession, ahead of the Manache Ganapati
Pune: As many as 20 city-based Ganapati mandals came together on Tuesday to meet the police. They demanded that they be allowed to start their visarjan (immersion) processions from 7am onwards at the end of Ganeshotsav this year. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These mandals' members unitedly told the police that they wish to begin their respective processions at least three hours before the Manache Ganapati and other prominent mandals embark on the visarjan route. They also said that 80 more mandals are likely to join them soon in this demand. The prominent mandals begin their visarjan journey around 10am as per tradition, while the smaller mandals typically follow suit later in the day. According to members of smaller mandals, the Manache Ganapati processions are usually delayed, which further pushes their own schedule ahead by several hours. However, their demand was opposed by members of the Manache Ganapati mandals (Kasba, Tambdi Jogeshwari, Guruji Talim, Tulshibaug and Kesari Wada) as well as three more major mandals of the city (Dagdusheth, Bhau Rangari and Akhil Mandai), all of whom are usually given priority on visarjan day. Many members of larger mandals said this proposed alteration would "go against tradition". The meetings on Tuesday morning were conducted with Pune commissioner of police (CP) Amitesh Kumar, joint CP Ranjan Kumar Sharma, and other senior police officers. They first met the smaller Ganapati mandals and later, another meeting was held with the eight larger mandals. Speaking about the stand taken by many city mandals, Shrikant Shirole, former Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) standing committee chairman, said, "Times have changed. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The visarjan procession can be started without waiting for the Manache Ganapati mandals. If some mandals want to take out their procession from other routes, like Tilak Road, Lal Bahadur Shashtri Road, Kelkar Road, and more, police must allow them to start at 7am. " Another smaller mandal member, Hrushikesh Balgude, said, "Many mandals, who have pandals on Laxmi Road, wish to start early, before the Manache Ganapati mandals. They should be allowed to embark from Belbaug Chowk. Why waste time? The police and other authorities discriminate between mandals, which causes problems." Mandal member Vishal Gund said, "The immersion procession can start early if police cooperate with smaller mandals, too. We can take alternative routes for the procession. But we know the police will just buckle under pressure from the eight big mandals." A member of Kasba Ganapati mandal, choosing anonymity, said, "The city's Ganeshotsav visarjan procession has a long-standing history. Why do some mandals want to disturb it? The existing ceremony is beautiful the way it is." Meanwhile, police said smaller mandals could even be provided alternative internal routes to start the procession early, but it would still be difficult to allow them to pass from Alka Talkies Chowk. CP Kumar said, "I have requested all city mandals to conduct a meeting among themselves in another two days and arrive at some solution. I will implement whatever is decided with a common consensus." He added, "Our stand is very clear on resolving issues of the mandals with the help of different authorities. We will act as per decisions taken by the mandals. I too do not wish to disturb the long-standing culture of the Ganapati visarjan procession in the city."
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
‘Harassment' of hostel women by cops: Won't register case as allegations are not corroborative, says Pune police chief
Pune/Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Amid raging protest and demand for a case under the Atrocities Act against the police personnel accused of harassing three women at a private hostel in Kothrud while investigating a missing woman's case, Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar said on Monday that "no offence is made out" against the police personnel as the allegations levelled were "not corroborative". "The police officers and constables did not falter in their duty. A woman's missing complaint is taken very seriously, and it is investigated thoroughly on par with a murder case. I don't think the officers and constables mishandled the case. All the allegations are baseless," Kumar said. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis told reporters in Mumbai: "Police have given a detailed explanation on this issue. They should not come under any pressure and take appropriate steps as per the law." You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune Opposition leaders, including Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar, NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar and Maharashtra Congress chief Harshawardhan Sapkal, questioned police's approach and behaviour in handling the matter and insisted that they should have registered a case under the Atrocities Act. A large group of protesters, including political party workers, staged an agitation near the Pune police commissioner's office from Sunday evening till the early hours of Monday, pressing for an FIR under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and outraging modesty of women. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Family Adopted A New 'Dog', But When The Vet Sees It He Calls The Police Undo by Taboola by Taboola A police bandobast was also deployed around Kothrud police station on Monday to ensure there is no untoward incident. It all started on Aug 1 afternoon when a police team from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, assisted by Kothrud police, reached the hostel as part of their search for a woman who had been reported missing from Sambhajinagar since July 19. Police had leads that the woman was in touch with two of the three women — a working woman and two students — at the hostel and wanted to question them about her whereabouts. It was during this exercise that the three women alleged that they were manhandled, harassed and were taken to the Kothrud police station for inquiry. Questions were raised as to why the three women were taken to the police station. Police chief Kumar justified the action and said, "The three women from whom information was sought about the missing woman's whereabouts, did not cooperate with police. As such, police had no option but to take them to the police station. When the police team studied their phone, we eventually managed to trace the missing woman to a women's shelter home in Mundhwa. The three women were neither beaten nor abused." Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar's police commissioner Pravin Pawar said, "Our police teams neither misbehaved nor committed any excesses, at any point of time while tracking the missing woman. Our teams, during each of their visits to Pune, followed all the due procedures, including making station diary entries and seeking local police's help." Pune police gave a written statement to the three women and other protestors around 3am on Monday that no case can be registered against the police personnel as there is no corroborating evidence for such action. "We verified all their harassment claims and found the same misleading and fabricated," Kumar said. Meanwhile, MLA Rohit Pawar said, "Despite so much anger in society against police's behavior, why was an FIR not registered? Who is pressurising police? Was there any written correspondence from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police to Kothrud police regarding the inquiry in the case? Did police have a search warrant? Police will have to answer all these questions. The manner in which police have handled the issue, it appears that they are under some political pressure but we will keep raising public issues till justice is delivered. " VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar said, "We will take the issue to the court. Pune police's stand is against the Constitution. They should have registered an FIR based on the complaint, but they chose to support their men." State Congress chief Sapkal said, "Police have the responsibility to protect citizens and uphold the rule of law. However, it is shocking to know that they themselves have indulged in making casteist remarks. I demand that the chief minister intervene and take strict action against the police personnel concerned." The case that led Sambhajinagar cops to Pune in search of missing woman On July 19, a Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar resident lodged a complaint with Satara area police stating that his wife (23) had gone missing after she left their house informing her in-laws that she was going to her college to collect a copy of her transfer certificate. The couple was married two years ago. Police then started investigating the matter and tracking her movement which first took them to the Yerawada and Vishrantwadi areas in Pune on July 24, but the search did not yield any result, inspector Krishna Shinde of Satara area police said. The Sambhajinagar crime branch then joined the area police in the search and based on fresh inputs about the missing woman's possible whereabouts, a police team on Aug 1 reached the house of two women at Kharadi in Pune with whom she was in touch before going missing. These women told police that the woman they were looking for was staying with her two friends in a private working women's hostel at Kothrud in Pune. "The teams then approached the Kothrud police station, made a station diary entry and, with their assistance, reached the hostel to seek information about the woman's whereabouts from her two friends," Shinde said. "The teams learnt from the two friends that the woman had shifted to a shelter home in Mundhwa," he added. Savita Bhore, the shelter home in-charge, verified the missing woman's documents and then brought her before the police team, which was accompanied by her family members. The woman then told police that she did not want to return to her marital home as she was facing harassment at the hands of her in-laws. Police recorded her statement along with those of her in-laws before returning to Sambhajinagar, the officer said.
India.com
31-07-2025
- Politics
- India.com
Maharashtra: Family Of Kargil War Veteran Harassed By Mob In Pune, Forced To Prove Indian Citizenship
The family of a Kargil War veteran in Pune has alleged that a mob barged into their home late Saturday night, demanding proof of their Indian citizenship and accusing them of being illegal immigrants. The incident took place in the Chandannagar area of Pune around 11:30 PM. The family claims that members of the Bajrang Dal, accompanied by some police personnel in plain clothes, entered their house and accused them of being Bangladeshi and Rohingya immigrants. Irshad Shaikh, brother of Army veteran Hakimuddin Shaikh, said, "We are proud Indians. Our family members, since our forefathers, have served the nation for 130 years in various ranks and services, and yet, we were treated like criminals in our own home." He added, "A mob of 70-80 people entered my house and the houses of relatives who reside next to me. They started asking us to prove our nationality. We tried to show our IDs, but they were not listening to us and created chaos. Some police personnel in civil uniform were with them, too." Hakimuddin's nephew, Shamshad Shaikh, shared a similar account. "Around 11:45 pm, they banged loudly on our door. Once open, 5-7 people entered the house. There were a total of 80 people... They started saying that without wasting time, show your Aadhaar card; otherwise, we will kill you. Upon showing, they claimed our Aadhaar cards were fake. We do not know them, but they told us that they are from Bajrang Dal... The police came in civil dress, so we were not able to identify them initially." However, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar denied police involvement in the incident. He said, "The family has not made any allegations of the presence of police in the crowd, and there was indeed no police presence in it." #WATCH | Maharashtra | Army veteran's family allegedly assaulted by mob in Pune and asked to show proof of Indian citizenship Commissioner of Police, Amitesh Kumar says, "An offence of unlawful assembly has been registered against people who gathered there and were raising… — ANI (@ANI) July 30, 2025 The police have registered a case of unlawful assembly against the individuals who allegedly entered the home and raised slogans. "An offence of unlawful assembly has been registered against people who gathered there and were raising slogans. The senior officers have also visited the place, and we have assured the victim's family that all their grievances will be addressed appropriately. If required, relevant sections of law shall be applied in the offence. Stringent action will be taken against offenders," CP Kumar said. Further investigation is underway.
Time of India
30-07-2025
- Time of India
Harassed by cops & mob for citizenship proof, say Kargil War veteran's kin in Pune
Pune: A Kargil War veteran's family in Chandannagar has alleged harassment by the Pune police and a group of unidentified individuals, who stormed their residence around 11.30pm on July 26, asking them to prove their Indian citizenship. Two other members in the family were veterans of the 1965 and 1971 wars. The family members claimed that all the men were then taken to the Chandannagar police station around midnight. "We were told to wait until 3am and produce documents to prove our citizenship, failing which we were threatened that we would be declared illegal immigrants from Bangladesh or Rohingya," a member of the family told TOI. Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar on Tuesday told TOI: "The deputy commissioner of police (DCP) for the zone is investigating the matter. If any negligence is found on the part of the police, we will take appropriate action against the personnel involved." You Can Also Check: Pune AQI | Weather in Pune | Bank Holidays in Pune | Public Holidays in Pune He said: "Preliminary investigations revealed that the police personnel did not forcibly enter the house. However, there are allegations by the family regarding the issue. The DCP is verifying the claims." DCP (Zone IV) Somay Munde said: "The family was only asked to produce documents after our team visited the spot based on inputs about some Bangladeshi nationals illegally staying in the locality." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo Hakimuddin Shaikh (58), who retired as a Naik Havildar from the Indian Army's 269 Engineer Regiment of Corps of Engineers, said: "I served the nation with pride for 16 years, from 1984 to 2000, and even fought the Kargil War in 1999. I am an Indian citizen, and my entire family belongs to this nation just as I do. Then why are we being asked to prove our citizenship? We never imagined something like this would happen to my family. " Hakimuddin lived in Pune until 2013 before moving to their hometown. However, the rest of his family members, including brothers, nephews, and their wives, still live in Pune, and they were all asked to prove their citizenship on the night of July 26. The family, originally from Uttar Pradesh's Pratapgarh, shifted to Pune in 1960. Hakimuddin's brother, Irshad Shaikh, said: "Not just my brother, but my two uncles, Shaikh Naeemuddin, who retired from the infantry unit of the Indian Army, and Shaikh Mohammad Salim, who was with the Army's Engineering regiment, also served the nation. Both of them fought in the 1965 and 1971 wars for the country." He said: "What shocked us the most was that it wasn't the police leading the group, but a group of 30-40 unidentified men who were demanding that our family members show them documents. The intruders were shouting slogans when a policeman in plain clothes stopped them. A police van was parked at a distance from our house, where a uniformed officer was waiting." Hakimuddin's nephew Naushad Shaikh said: "Even when we produced documents like Aadhaar cards to prove our citizenship, the individuals who were shouting at everyone, including women and children from our family, said the documents were fake. The individuals were behaving like goons, as some of them were even kicking the door, asking women to wake up and show their documents." Nawab Shaikh, another nephew of Hakimuddin, said he was born in Pune and lived in the city all these years. "When such things happen, common people reach out to the police for help. But when the police themselves help a mob, it is difficult to understand who we should go to," he said. Yet another nephew, Shamshad Shaikh, said: "We were called to the police station the day after the incident. After keeping us waiting for over two hours, we were informed that the police inspector is not coming, and that we can leave. Our documents are still with them." He said the family was yet to understand why the police team had come with a mob late at night instead of directly asking them to show documents. DCP Munde said: "Our team visited the spot based on some information and asked them to show their documents. When it was found that they were Indian nationals staying in the city, we allowed them to go. We have a video recording of the police team's visit to the spot. Our team was not accompanied by any third party."
