There was a huge delay in the immersion process of the Lalbaugcha Raja at Girgaum Chowpatty on Sunday. Due to the chaos in the immersion, the Ganpati idol had to be immersed during the lunar eclipse. This has angered lakhs of devotees. Also, the Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kriti Samiti has alleged that the Lalbaughcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal harassed devotees coming for darshan. The committee has also demanded that criminal cases be filed against the members of the executive committee of the board for the delay in immersion and the harassment of devotees. This demand has been made to Chief Minister and Home Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The immersion was delayed due to the long procession of the Lalbaugcha Raja. After 33 hours, the immersion took place at around 9.10 pm on Sunday. However, a lunar eclipse had begun at that time. The fishermen's association has claimed that the sentiments of Hindus have been hurt by this. The immersion ceremony has been performed by fishermen in Mumbai for years. This year, for the first time, attempts to bypass the Koli brothers and use modern technology to perform immersion failed.
The Akhil Maharashtra Fishermen's Action Committee has expressed the feeling that performing immersion during a lunar eclipse is not only an insult to Ganesha but also to all Ganesh devotees. Therefore, a demand has been made to Fadnavis to investigate the dissolution process and file criminal cases against the members of the board's executive board.
Lalbaugcha Raja was founded in 1934 by women fishmongers from the Koli community. Committee chairman Devendra Tandel alleged that after the popularity of Lalbaugcha Raja increased, members of the executive committee of the concerned board started commercialising the festival. The same devotees who made this mandal famous and earn immense money are being ignored by the workers of the mandal.
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Meanwhile, the VIP culture should be stopped by making immediate changes in the darshan process of the Lalbaugcha Raja. To prevent stampedes, the pandals should be set up in open spaces instead of confined spaces. The Fishermen's Committee has also demanded that the Koli community, which established the Ganpati temple, should be given the honour of immersion of the state of Lalbaug every year. Also, one day of darshan should be reserved for the Agri-Koli brothers.
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