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The atmosphere grew tense at Pune, the city of pride and Marathi history density on February 15, 2026, and the violence erupted due to the political passions. It was all triggered by what Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal said on the day before. Regarding leading Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sapkal gave an analogy between his bravery and vision of the Swarajya (self-rule) and the struggle by the Mysore ruler, Tipu Sultan against the British, by stating that he was continuing the bravura of Shivaji and his ideology. We should discuss the type of courage which Shivaji Maharaj had... According to him, both were utilized as anti-colonial heroes when he declared war on the British on the example of him, but inspired by him.

To most Maharashtra people, the comparison was an insult as Shivaji Maharaj is hailed as god-like being and great defender of the Hindu faith in the state. One of the most debatable figures in the history, Tipu Sultan was regarded through a prism of religious wars and so-called forced conversions. BJP leaders were fast to decry the comments, as being hurtful, and a bid to falsify history in order to gain political capital.

On Sunday afternoon, the BJP activists assembled around the Congress Bhavan- the party headquarters in Pune and protested. There were slogans in the streets condemning Sapkal to compare a Maratha icon with someone they think is controversial. Events became heated after congress goers engaged in confronting the demonstrators. What began as hot-blooded arguments culminated into an unpleasant fight: rocks were thrown at each other, cars were ruined, and both sides completely lost their minds in a few minutes.

There were nine injured persons; three Congress volunteers, two BJP volunteers, two policemen who were attempting to contain the mob, and two journalists who were present to record the incident. Injuries were largely minor with one congress worker reported having a head wound. The police came in scatter the crowd with lathis and used heavy security to avoid any further confrontation.

Joint Commissioner of Police Ranjan Kumar Sharma admitted that cases against both sides were being registered. Maharashtra Congress v/p of INC, Mohan Joshi said that BJP was the origin of the violence and playing its own games of two standards as it had in the past endorsed Tipu in saffron. BJP Pune chief Dhiraj Ghate accused Congress of insinuating feelings.

With the dust cleared, the incidence emphasized that a historical character such as Shivaji Maharaj and Tipu Sultan still remains a burning debate in the contemporary India. In Pune, the city of the legacy of Shivaji words became stones--ingiving people constant reminder of the fact that any euphoria on the confrontation with history can become explosive when the politics is landed in the arena.