Pandharpur Police books thousands including Prakash Ambedkar for defying COVID-19 rules

The Pandharpur Police has booked Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar along with 1,000 others for defying the social distancing norm amid the COVID-19 outbreak in Maharashtra. 

This comes after Ambedkar on August 31 led a protest outside Vitthal temples in Pandharpur and was joined by Warkari sect and their local organisations to demand the reopening of temples in Maharashtra. 

The police have booked more than 1,000 people including Ambedkar and members of the Warkari organisations for unlawful assembly and defying the COVID-19 restrictions. Ambedkar participated in a protest involving the Vishwa Varakari Samsthan which has been demanding the Maharashtra government to reopen of temples.  

The VBA had written to Solapur district collector requesting him to allow Ambedkar to go inside the Vitthal temples. After talking to the government, the district collector allowed Ambedkar and 15 others to visit the temple.

Ambedkar also informed that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has assured reopening of temples in the next eight to ten days. The government will issue Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for devotees visiting the temples, he said. 

While leading the march in Pandharpur, Ambedkar said that he was there to break rules and received criticism from leaders of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance. Ambedkar has been constantly demanding the lifting of lockdown in Maharashtra. 

The opposition in Maharashtra has united against the Shiv Sena-led MVA government over the demand to reopen all religious places. Earlier, AIMIM MP Imtiyaz Jaleel was also detained while he was on his way to a mosque to offer prayers.

Reacting to this, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said that the opposition parties and leaders have the right to discuss with the Chief Minister and there was no need to take the matter to the streets. Raut said that the state government doesn’t desire to keep the temples shut and will take a decision after full preparations. 

Raut, however, objected to Ambedkar’s remarks of breaking the law and said that such statements provoke people. Meanwhile, Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant said it was unfortunate that the VBA chief defied social distancing norms.