A half-naked mentally challenged man, in an inebriated condition, climbed to the top of the Vitthal – Rukhmai temple in Pandharpur in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and tried to break the temple kalas by forcibly pushing it. The incident occurred in the early hours of Thursday, causing a sensation in the Waluj area. The temple committee immediately called the police, and further untoward incidents were averted.

According to the details, the board of trustees had completed all the religious rituals and activities in the temple on Wednesday night and had closed the temple. A half-naked man, in an inebriated state, entered the temple premises by jumping over the compound wall. The temple guard tried to stop him, but he started throwing stones at him. He then climbed the temple using the chain, reached the top, and began shouting loudly while attempting to break the copper kalas of the temple.

Identity remains unknown

Meanwhile, the temple guard informed the temple officials, and they quickly gathered at the temple. Upon receiving the information, the MIDC police rushed to the spot. PSI Bhagyashree Shinde, Bhagatsingh Ghunawat, and others tried to convince the man to come down, but he was reluctant to comply.

After strenuous efforts, the police team managed to remove him from the top of the temple, preventing a major mishap.

Temple chairman Rajendra Patil Pawar, secretary Appasaheb Patil Zalke, and other members such as Shaikh Javed, Shaikh Chand, Rohat Raul, Vishnu Raut, Jagganath Autade, Deepak Kanade, Sagar Kanade, Lakhan Salampure, Raju Mhase, and other villagers helped the police in the operation.

The identity of the person is unknown, but it is believed that he is a mentally challenged individual from Bihar. He sustained minor injuries and has been admitted to the hospital. The police are further investigating the case.