Three injured in overcrowding at Pune’s Shivneri Fort during Shivaji Jayanti celebration

Three persons were injured after being pushed at Shivneri Fort in Pune amid overcrowding early on Thursday (February 19, 2026), as thousands gathered to celebrate the birth anniversary of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, police said.

The incident occurred around 3:30 a.m. when a group carrying a torch was descending the fort near the Meena Darwaja in Junnar tehsil, they said.

“A group was coming down the fort carrying a torch at a fast pace amid heavy crowding. Our police team present there advised them to slow down,” Superintendent of Police, Pune Rural, Sandip Singh Gill said.

“Meanwhile, someone from the upper side pushed a person, following which four to five people from the group fell. Three persons sustained leg injuries,” he said.

The police personnel present at the spot immediately assisted the injured and ensured that the movement of people continued smoothly, the official said.

“We have deployed additional police force and the movement of people is now taking place smoothly,” he said.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar attended the celebrations at the fort in Pune on Thursday (February 19, 2026).

Mr. Fadnavis and his Deputies attended various programmes, including the ‘cradle ceremony’, symbolising the legendary king’s birth and naming rituals, at Shivneri.

The legendary warrior king was born on February 19, 1630, at Shivneri Fort in Pune district.