Pune: Sharad Pawar Seeks Security for Vikas Lawande After Ink Attack Row, Assures to Discuss Issue with CM
Pune, 11th May 2026: A day after he was allegedly assaulted and smeared with black ink over his comments on the Warkari movement, NCP (SP) spokesperson Vikas Lawande met party president Sharad Pawar in Pune on Sunday and claimed that the senior leader had intervened with top police officials seeking security for him.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting at Pawar’s residence in Shivajinagar, Lawande said the NCP (SP) chief had discussed the incident with Maharashtra DGP Sadanand Date and Pune police commissioner Amitesh Kumar and requested them to provide security to him. According to Lawande, Pawar also planned to raise the issue with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis during a meeting in Mumbai later in the day.
The controversy stems from an incident near Mhatobachi Alandi on Saturday morning when Lawande was on his way back after attending a religious function where he had performed a kirtan.
In his complaint lodged with the Loni Kalbhor Police Station, Lawande alleged that around 14 men including Sangram Bhandare stopped his vehicle, threatened him with a firearm, dragged him out of the car and threw black ink on him. A video purportedly showing the assault later surfaced online and quickly went viral, drawing reactions from political parties and social groups.
The incident has intensified the ongoing row over alleged “infiltration” into the Warkari sect. The dispute escalated after Lawande released a list of 20 people associated with the sect, accusing them of working politically for the BJP. His remarks followed statements made earlier by Sharad Pawar, who had alleged that certain politically motivated individuals had entered the Warkari movement.
Despite the backlash, Lawande said he was standing by his statements and insisted that the people named by him had actively campaigned for the BJP. The Loni Kalbhor police have already registered a case in the matter under relevant sections against 14 people including Bhandare.
