National Congress Party (SP) spokesperson Vikas Lawande on Saturday was allegedly attacked by a group of men led by 'kirtankar' (devotional preacher) Sangram Bhandare in Maharashtra's Pune, who poured ink on him accusing him of targeting prominent spiritual leaders. The incident happened at Mhatobachi Alandi in Haveli tehsil of the Pune district.
A video has also gone viral on social media, in which the men could be seen approaching Lawande who was returning after participating in a religious event. Suddenly, Bhandare and his men approached Lawande and sought an explanation from him over his recent remarks.
"If you wanted to call someone an infiltratorNCP, NCP(SP), National Congress Party, NCP(SP) leader Vikas Lawande, Vikas Lawande, Vikas Lawande attacked, ink poured on Vikas Lawande, Rohit Pawar, you should have called me that. You should not have dared to call our gurus infiltrators; they are everything to us," Bhandare told Lawande, while also warning of "serious consequences" if he continues to make such remarks.
The NCP(SP) spokesperson has now approached the police, seeking action against Bhandare. According to Lawande, Bhandare and 10 to 15 people approached him around 10 am, and "manhandled" him, while brandishing a pistol before fleeing.
However, Bhandare has dismissed Lawande's claims that a pistol was involved.
Recently, Lawande had made remarks against spiritual leaders such as Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, Kali Charan, Pradeep Sharma, and Swami Anand Swaroop. He had claimed that these leaders had infiltrated into Maharashtra from North India because of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He had also accused them of insulting revered figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Gautam Buddha to create a communal rift in society.
Meanwhile, the incident has drew sharp reactions from NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar, who said he met with the police to file a complaint. He said the incident shows that "hardcore fundamentalist goons, who claim to be Warkaris themselves, have infiltrated the Warkari sect, which establishes brotherhood, peace, and equality."
"Our attention will remain on the investigation of this crime. And if any setback occurs in Lawande's case, the full responsibility will lie with the police administration—the government should take note of that," Pawar posted in Marathi on X.
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