Ink poured on NCP (SP) spokesperson Vikas Lawande for ‘targeting’ spiritual leaders

A group of individuals, led by kirtankar devotional preacher Sangram Bhandare poured ink on NCP SP spokesperson Vikas Lawande in Maharashtras Pune district on Saturday, accusing him of targeting prominent spiritual leaders. Bhandare later said on social media that the ink incident was a protest against Lawandes unfounded allegations towards Hindu spiritual leaders of the Warkari movement.

A group of individuals, led by 'kirtankar' (devotional preacher) Sangram Bhandare poured ink on NCP (SP) spokesperson Vikas Lawande in Maharashtra's Pune district on Saturday, accusing him of targeting prominent spiritual leaders. A viral video of the incident at Mhatobachi Alandi in Haveli tehsil shows Bhandare and his men approaching Lawande to demand an explanation for his ''infiltrator'' comments. In the footage, Bhandare is seen pouring ink on Lawande while saying, ''If you wanted to call someone an infiltrator, you should have called me that. You should not have dared to call our gurus infiltrators; they are everything to us.'' Bhandare also purportedly warned Lawande of serious consequences if he continued to ''mess with'' or speak against these spiritual figures. Lawande has recently been vocal against leaders such as Dhirendra Krishna Shastri, Kali Charan, Pradeep Sharma, and Swami Anand Swaroop, labelling them as ''infiltrators'' from North India brought into Maharashtra by the BJP and RSS. He claimed these leaders are ''Manuwadi'' figures sent to undermine the traditional teachings of Maharashtra's saints. He accused them of insulting revered figures like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Gautam Buddha to create a communal rift in society. Following the ink attack, Lawande approached the Loni Kalbhor police station. ''Sangram Bhandare and 10-15 individuals, claiming to be cow vigilantes, arrived in several vehicles,'' Lawande said. ''Around 10 am, as I was returning from a discourse, they intercepted my car, manhandled me, and brandished a pistol before fleeing,'' he alleged. Lawande said he would stay put at the police station until the Pune police commissioner takes legal action against those who targeted him. Bhandare later said on social media that the ink incident was a ''protest'' against Lawande's ''unfounded allegations'' towards Hindu spiritual leaders of the 'Warkari movement'. He dismissed the claim that a pistol was involved, calling it ''baseless''. NCP(SP) MLA Rohit Pawar condemned the incident, questioning why individuals claiming to represent the peaceful Warkari movement would use ''profane language'' and ''physical force''. Why the ''attackers'' remained silent when leaders like ''Bageshwar Dham Sarkar allegedly made insulting remarks about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Nagpur'', he asked. His party chief Sharad Pawar, in a magazine article, had expressed concerns that regressive elements had entered the Warkari tradition in recent times and the discourses of some preachers of the sect encouraged religious fanaticism. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had rejected the remarks, saying the article was completely wrong and showed a lack of understanding of the tradition. The term 'Warkari' is used for devotees of Lord Vitthal of Pandharpur who undertake an annual pilgrimage on foot to the temple town. The tradition goes back several centuries and has inspired great Bhakti poets such as Tukaram and Namdev.