Spiritual Leader Narendra Maharaj has demanded action against officials responsible for Tuesday night's cane-charge by police and Central Industrial Security Force personnel on his followers at the Mumbai domestic airport, which left 15 people injured.
Irate followers of the Maharaj were protesting over the godman not being allowed to embark a Lucknow-Mumbai flight with a silver mace, the symbol of his religious authority.
Some media personnel, including a reporter and some cameramen, were also injured in the cane-charge, police said, adding that 15 of the injured were admitted to three city hospitals.
About 190 persons, including Shiv Sena workers and supporters of spiritual leader Narendra Maharaj, were arrested later in the day for destroying property at Aurangabad airport, police said.
Aurangabad ACP Sudhir Dabhade told PTI on phone that Maharaj's supporters, led by Shiv Sena workers, raised slogans and damaged airport property to protest Wednesday's cane-charge at the airport by police and CISF personnel in which many of the spiritual leader's followers were injured.
However, flight schedules were not affected, airport sources said.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Maharashtra unit Chief Venkytesh Abdev said, "The action by CISF is an insult to Hindu religion and we condemn it."
Following a similar incident last month involving spiritual leader Avimukhshwarananda, Indian Airlines had tendered a written apology to the Swamiji, Abdev added.
The CISF has ordered a departmental inquiry into the cane-charge on the followers of Sri Narendra Maharaj at the Mumbai airport.
"A departmental inquiry has been ordered by us to find out the details of the last night's incident, including the cane-charge by CISF jawans on the supporters of Maharaj," a top CISF official told PTI.
CISF, which looks after the security of the airport, has also lodged an FIR with the local police at the airport as eight jawans were injured during the scuffle, he said.
Seven jawans were discharged from the hospital after treatment and one is suspected to have sustained fracture, he said.
"The agitation lasted for one and a half hour outside the most sensitive areas of the domestic airport," he said.
The supporters, holding agitation outside the arrival terminal, which also falls in the jurisdiction of the local police, suddenly came to know about the arrival of Maharaj and tried to push through the arrival gate.
They were, however, stopped by CISF jawans and local police from entering the sensitive area, the official said.
Due to ongoing renovation at the airport, a single gate being operated for both incoming and outgoing passengers, he said.
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