A person who came with family from Surat to Mumbai for Charan Darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi has shared his bitter experience and harassment faced at the pandal in a Reddit post.
"Today, my family and I travelled from Surat to Mumbai for Charan Darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja. What should have been a spiritual experience turned into a nightmare of mismanagement and inhumanity," the user wrote.
Amid the disorderly crowd, the younger sister was hurt on the head. The mother's kurti tore and she narrowly escaped suffering a deep injury after being aggressively pushed by the staff.
Further, the user claims his father fainted because of suffocation.
"Shockingly, neither the Mandal management nor the Mumbai Police bothered to help, provide water, or clear the crowd," the user added.
The user then criticised the double standards of the pandal organisers and their inability to manage the event properly despite collecting crores of donations.
"Meanwhile, celebrities get peaceful darshan with the entire mandap cleared for them. Ordinary devotees who travel miles in faith are treated like cattle. We had to leave without darshan because of my father's condition."
"It's shocking that despite crores in donations every year, there's no basic crowd control, drinking water, or medical aid. Attaching photos as proof," the user added.
The user concluded the post by calling the whole episode shameful and saying that devotees deserve a better experience.
Don't Visit Lal Baug Cha Raja, if you aren't a public figure or have 100s crores in your pocket
byu/MasalaGuy inindia
Here's How Others Reacted
"Lord left that place long ago; people should too," wrote one user.
"Bappa has left long ago. That's just a business now, I am sorry if I hurt anyone, but that's reality. It has become a status symbol now. Forgive me, Bappa, but those Lalbaug people are no devotees of you, only the money they earn in your name," read a comment.
Another user said, "Please don't go to Lalbaug darshan. There's so much crowd that it can lead to a stampede anytime. It is very badly managed with no proper medical help. The karyakartas have a lot of pride and are treating people in inhuman ways by shouting at them and pushing them."
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