Two Bombay High Court lawyers have lodged a complaint with the Mumbai Police, alleging disparate treatment between ordinary visitors and VIPs during their prayers at Lalbaugcha Raja.

A viral video shows pandal staff aggressively pushing away individuals who had offered their prayers at the feet of Lord Ganesha, while a separate group of people, who appeared to be VIPs, were allowed to stay and smile for the cameras without any disruption from the staff.

"During darshan, children, women, senior citizens and the differently abled are discriminated against... Common citizens are mistreated, insulted and beaten up by managers and employees... Such a system is extremely bad," the lawyers, Ashish Rai and Pankajkumar Mishra, said in the complaint to the Mumbai Police.

The lawyers claimed that this disparity in treatment towards common people has been a recurring issue during the darshan of Lord Ganesha at Lalbaugcha Raja year after year.

On Saturday, devotees reached in large numbers to offer their prayers during the darshan of Lord Ganesh.

Notable figures including Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar, BJP national chief JP Nadda, and Union Ministers Piyush Goyal and Bhupendra Yadav were among those who participated in the prayers.

The Lalbaugcha Raja Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav Mandal, housing the iconic Lord Ganesha idol, remains a central attraction during this vibrant festival, drawing thousands of worshippers. The first look of this year’s Lalbaugcha Raja was unveiled on September 5. Established in 1934, the Lalbaugcha Raja, located at Putlabai Chawl, is renowned for its revered idol and its significance in the Ganeshotsav celebrations.