Pune: Ganpati idol immersion day passed peacefully amid restrictions. Pune News – Times of India

For the second year in a row, the administration in Pune had banned immersion processions in view of the pandemic situation. (image for representational purpose)

PUNE: Ganpati idol immersion rituals took place peacefully in the city on Sunday, the concluding day of the 10-day festival, barring a few instances where representatives of Ganpati mandals had a heated argument with the police over the seizure. Drum-tasha instrument.
For the second year in a row, the administration in Pune had banned immersion processions in view of the pandemic situation. All the idols were immersed in the tanks provided by the Pune Municipal Corporation.
The immersion rituals began at 7 am amid tight police security at various Ganpati pandals and temples, including the premises of five major Ganpati mandals and other important mandals.
Joint Commissioner of Police Ravindra Shisve and other senior police officers patrolled the streets on foot to see if any Ganpati mandal was violating government orders in the backdrop of the spread of COVID infection. Steps were taken to prevent crowding in front of temples and pandals. Most of the mandals had prepared tanks in front of their pandals for immersion.
However, Tulsibagh Ganpati Mandal and Bhau Rangari Mandal started playing instruments by taking out drums and cards. The police reached the pandals of both these divisions. There was a verbal war between the police and the Mandal workers regarding this. After a few minutes the board members accepted their mistake and put the drums and cards back.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone I) Priyanka Naranware said, “Tulshibagh Ganpati Mandal started playing drums for the procession but the police team intervened in time and stopped them. After arguing for sometime they followed the orders of the police. Ganpati Mandal, a member of Bhau Rangari, also followed the orders of the police after discussion.
Tulsibagh Ganpati Mandal treasurer Nitin Pandit said, “When we started playing dhol-cards, the police warned us but the police did not register any offense against us. And after a few minutes the dhol-cards confiscated by the police were handed over to us. It was returned. For this an immersion procession was taken out.”
Members of Bhau Rangari Mandal shrugged it off by saying, “The police came and requested us to stop playing the instrument and we stopped.”