JP Nadda evacuated from Ganesh pandal in Pune after fire breaks out; none hurt

Visuals from the scene showed Nadda being safely escorted out of the venue even as the fire engulfed the top portion of the makeshift pandal in the Lokmanya Nagar area in the heart of the city

Pune: BJP president J P Nadda was safely evacuated from a Lord Ganesh pandal in Pune where a fire broke out when he was offering prayers along with the party’s Maharashtra unit chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday evening, police said.

Visuals from the scene showed Nadda being safely escorted out of the venue even as the fire engulfed the top portion of the makeshift pandal in the Lokmanya Nagar area in the heart of the city.

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No casualty was reported in the incident.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone III) Suhail Sharma said after the fire broke out during Nadda’s visit to the Ganesh pandal, “police officers at duty immediately responded with local support and fire brigade units were deployed”.

A fire brigade official said the blaze may have been caused by fireworks at the pandal set up by the Sane Guruji Ganesh Mitra Mandal.

Pune city BJP president Dhiraj Ghate and security personnel were seen taking Nadda out of the pandal, a replica of Ujjain’s famous Mahakaleshwar Temple.

As soon as the fire broke out, rains started in the area which helped douse the flames.

DCP Sharma said the BJP president left the spot to attend ‘aarti’ at another Lord Ganesh pandal in the Kothrud area of the city.

“The fire was successfully contained and no person sustained injuries,” he added.

Sharma said firecrackers set off by Ganesh mandal members to welcome the guests caused the blaze.