Three devotees from Pune attacked outside Pandharpur temple

Pune, Oct 7 (PTI) Three men from Pune were allegedly assaulted following an altercation near the Vitthal temple in Pandharpur in Solapur district on Tuesday morning, police said.

While one of the victims suffered a serious head injury, police arrested two of the accused.

The complainants, part of a group of devotees from Pune, were clicking photos outside the temple when a motorbike brushed against one of them and sped away, said an official of Pandharpur police station.

"Later, when the devotees went to a nearby tea stall, they saw some people there and thought that the rider was among them. They tried to question them, but the latter denied being present at the time of the earlier incident," he said.

The quarrel escalated and one person from the other group allegedly hit a devotee from Pune in the head with a paver block, while two others were also assaulted.

The man who was hit in the head sustained a serious injury and is undergoing treatment at a hospital, the official added.

"We found during investigation that the bike-rider was in the other group. We have registered an offence and arrested two men for the assault so far," he said. PTI SPK KRK