‘Why wearing shorts, don’t know Hindu culture?': Tourists attacked at Pune's Sinhagad Fort

The Maharashtra Police has reportedly registered a case against eight members of a right-wing outfit for allegedly assaulting four tourists, including a woman, following a dispute at Sinhagad Fort near Pune city over wearing shorts and sleeveless tops.

“They asked, ‘Why are you wearing shorts?'”, the complaint filed by a 39-year-old working at a private firm in Pune read, as per a report by the Indian Express.

Three men from the group allegedly slapped the complainant, while a woman dragged his wife. “They kept shouting, ‘Don’t you understand Hindu culture?'”, the complaint alleged.

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The incident took place on Monday near the samadhi (memorial) of Tanaji Malusare, a military commander and trusted companion of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, police told news agency PTI.

According to police, members of the outfit objected to a girl wearing shorts at the fort, leading to an argument with the complainant. The dispute later escalated, and the man was allegedly assaulted.

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"A group of members of the right-wing outfit objected to the girl wearing shorts on the fort, which led to a heated argument between them and the complainant. The argument escalated, and the complainant was allegedly assaulted," inspector Rajesh Ramaghare of the Haveli police station told news agency PTI.

Police said the group also allegedly misbehaved with another couple and attempted to engage in moral policing.

The complainant subsequently approached the police, following which an FIR was registered against eight members of the outfit, inspector Rajesh Ramaghare said.

The FIR was registered under charges related to voluntarily causing hurt, voluntarily causing hurt using dangerous weapons or means, unlawful assembly, rioting and criminal intimidation.

Police identified the eight people named in the case as Sanket Sanjay Patil, Ashish Dilip Apar, Revan Narayan Kokte, Sayali Sujit Chavan, Ketaki Suraj Jadhav, Amar Ramchandra Shirke, Kunal Kisan Nalawade and Arya Praveen Kawade.

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