It was Sunday, 26 April 2026 as I was returning home with girlfriend after spending the evening at Phoenix Market City. At the West Ave road near the Element Bar, there was a huge baarat blocking the road. We thought it was a normal shaadi ki baarat but it turned out to be an MLA celebration. Also due to the one way diversion and road closures in Viman Nagar (all praise PMC for this), we didn't have an alternative route bypassing the traffic.
The people in the baarat were extremely violent and hostile. One of them kicked my bike while my girlfriend was the pillion. She was extremely scared and closed both of her helmet visors due to the fear. These guys also pushed a guy on an Activa behind me, while another tried kicking a Baleno right in front of me (visible in the recording). These people were yelling slurs and screaming at bypassers trying to pass through and use the road.
The public road was made inaccessible to the public and a major risk to the safety of the citizens. All of this unfolded when there were multiple police officers stationed on the road. Happening in the heart of Viman Nagar, which is renowned to be a safe and posh area of Pune, this has left me and many other ongoers traumatised of that evening.
Who's to blame here? The hooliganism caused by the goons? The irresponsible police officers? MLAs who don't care about the common people? Or PMC who has made a hellhole of the entire Viman Nagar roads system?