Maha okays shifting of 1300 members of sect from Latur to Pune

Over 1300 members of a sect,

stranded in their Latur-based ashram in Maharashtra due to the lockdown, were on Sunday shifted to their main base in Pune district, after the state government facilitated their journey through a special order in view of the damage caused to the ashram by unseasonal rains, an order stated.

The Disaster Management, Help and Rehabilitation department on April 17 issued a special order instructing the Latur district administration to make special transport arrangements to shift all the 1341 followers of "Mahanubhav Panth" or sect to Devdatta Ashram in Junnar, a distance of about 385 kms, while adhering to the social distancing norms.

"All the followers were brought in to the Jadhavwadi- based Shree Devdatta Ashram in Junnar tehsil in over 40 buses on Sunday," said an official from the Pune (Rural) Police.

These Mahanubhavis or the sect members had gone to their ashram located in Nilanga tehsil in Latur district of Marathwada region on February ...