BJP President J.P. Nadda had a narrow escape on Tuesday evening when a fire broke out at a Lord Ganesh pandal in Pune while he was offering prayers. He was accompanied by Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the party's Maharashtra unit chief, at the time. Although a fire engulfed the top portion of the pandal, Nadda was safely evacuated from the scene. Fortunately, no casualties were reported in the incident.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III) Suhail Sharma stated that the police, along with local support and fire brigade units, immediately responded to the fire when it erupted during Nadda's visit to the Ganesh pandal. Fire officials suspect that fireworks at the pandal, which was set up by the Sane Guruji Ganesh Mitra Mandal, may have caused the blaze.
Pune City BJP president Dhiraj Ghate and security personnel were instrumental in taking Nadda out of the pandal, which was designed as a replica of Ujjain's famous Mahakaleshwar Temple. Fortunately, rain began to fall in the area just as the fire broke out, which helped to douse the flames.
Following the incident, DCP Sharma revealed that the BJP president proceeded to attend 'aarti' at another Lord Ganesh pandal located in the Kothrud area of the city. He also confirmed that the fire was successfully contained and that no injuries were reported.
Sharma attributed the cause of the fire to firecrackers that were set off by members of the Ganesh mandal to welcome guests at the pandal.
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