Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, a member of the former Maratha royal family of Kolhapur, on Sunday claimed police stopped Shivaji Maharaj's followers from going to the Shivneri Fort in Pune, on the occasion of the warrior king's birth anniversary, in view of the visit of some VIPs. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who visited the fort along with Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, said they would take steps so that the followers of Shivaji Maharaj do not face any hurdles while visiting the Shivneri Fort next year. Shivaji Maharaj was born at the Shivneri Fort in 1630.
Maharashtra celebrated the 393rd birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with pomp in a series of social, cultural, historical and political events organised, on Sunday. Governor Ramesh Bais garlanded a bust of Chhatrapati, then went to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Park and garlanded the equestrian statue of the Maratha warrior king, and joined the celebrations organised with patriotic songs rendered by by the BMC's Sangeet Kala Academy.