Simran Budharup shares video of harrowing experience at Lalbaugcha Raja, Harsh Goenka highlights 'VIP culture'

A popular Ganesha idol in Mumbai, known as Lalbaugcha Raja, attracts nearly 1.5 million devotees each day during the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival. While it is described as a "sarvajanik" or "public" idol, recent videos have highlighted potential issues regarding VIP treatment at the festival site.

One video shows a long line of devotees being pushed by workers while a VIP family took pictures in front of the idol. These common devotees often wait in line for up to 12 hours for a brief glimpse of the idol, only to be hurried by security personnel. In contrast, the VIP family appeared to have ample time for photographs.

Another video captured dozens of devotees rushing into the pandal when the gates were briefly opened.


Billionaire Harsh Goenka shared the video of the rushing crowd on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), noting the apparent inequality. “Ever wondered why people opt for VIP darshan at Lalbaugcha Raja? It’s because the common devotee often faces long waits and crowds, highlighting the unequal treatment. Isn’t faith supposed to be equal for all?” he wrote.


Simran Budharup, known for her role in Pandya Store, also spoke about her troubling experience at Lalbaugcha Raja while visiting the event with her mother. The actress experienced rude behavior from the staff, leading to an unpleasant situation.

When Simran’s mother attempted to take a photo while waiting in line, a staff member confiscated her phone. When she tried to reclaim it, she was pushed aside. Simran intervened but was also met with rough behavior from the bouncers. Simran began recording the incident, prompting the staff to try and take her phone as well.

In a video posted online, Simran can be heard shouting, “Mat Karo! Kya kar rahe ho aap?” The incident calmed down only when they realized she was an actress. She shared the video on her social media, stating, “Today, I visited Lalbagh Cha Raja with my mother to seek blessings, but our experience was marred by the unacceptable behavior of the staff. A man from the organization snatched my mother’s phone while she was clicking the picture (she was In The queue behind me not that she was taking any extra time as It was my turn for the Darshan), and when she tried to retrieve it, he pushed her. I intervened, and the bouncers rough-handled me, when I started recording this behavior of them they tried snatching my phone too.”


Simran expressed her disappointment, emphasizing that visitors come with good intentions to seek blessings and should not be mistreated. She acknowledged that managing large crowds can be challenging, but this does not excuse aggressive behavior. Simran hopes her story will encourage event organizers to treat visitors with kindness and dignity, aiming for a more positive environment for all devotees.

People in the comments section agreed with Goenka. One commenter, Dinesh Joshi, expressed regret for those who stand in long queues only for a brief glimpse of the idol, while VIPs have more relaxed access. Another commenter suggested, “It should be declared ‘VIP Only’ pandal, common people travel long distances and struggle a lot with their devotion to get this treatment and darshan for micro seconds.”

Slamming this VIP culture, one user said “We are ourselves responsible for this ..this is ridiculous. I still believe you get more peace of mind if you pray at your home.” Another replied to Goenka’s post “Every year the same thing. Can there be no solution to effectively manage the crowd? I guess if the VIP line is abolished then 50% of the crowd can be diverted.”

While a third commented “Abolish VIP culture! Let them enjoy a comfortable and relaxed darshan from the luxury of their homes. It's disheartening that something as pure as faith is being divided by privilege. The essence of devotion is equality, not hierarchy. VIP darshan undermines this, turning a spiritual experience into an exclusive affair.”

“The actual Jap and Tap is standing in queue for hours because that's where God sees our activity who's choosing a shortcut and who's bearing the pain of process,” said a fourth.

These incidents raise questions about the fairness of access to the idol during the festival.