Pune activist Vidyanand Bapat allegedly assaulted over Ganeshotsav noise campaign
Social activist Vidyanand Bapat was allegedly assaulted in Pune while talking to the media about his campaign to limit DJ and loudspeaker noise during Ganeshotsav.
The attackers haven't been caught yet, and police are looking into what happened.
Bapat's focus has always been on reducing noise pollution at public festivals, not against the festival itself.
Vidyanand Bapat: campaign targets loud DJs
At a recent municipal meeting, Bapat voiced his concerns about festival noise, which led to pushback from some Ganesh mandal members and eventually being asked to leave. A video of the incident subsequently went viral online.
Afterward, Bapat clarified, "I have never wanted publicity. There are people who seek such publicity and can resort to such acts. I ignore such people. I have never opposed Ganeshotsav; my objection has only been to the loud noise from DJs," reminding everyone that his campaign is just about keeping celebrations peaceful.