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Still recorded as seized property in police records
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Revolutionary Chapekar brothers had taken oath for Bharat’s freedom before this very idol
Pune, Maharashtra – The idol of Shri Hanuman, before which the revolutionary Chapekar brothers had bowed and taken an oath for Bharat’s independence, continues to remain in the custody of Pune Police even after 78 years of Independence. The idol is currently kept at the Faraskhana Police Station as ‘muddemal’ (seized property).
Devout Hindus and history enthusiasts have demanded that the idol be installed respectfully at an appropriate place.
When questioned by a newspaper representative, the police stated that the idol is officially recorded as seized property and cannot be handed over without a court order. Despite there being thousands of Hanuman devotees in Pune, no one has yet come forward to secure the release of this historically significant idol.
As the idol is located inside a police station, public access is limited, and only police personnel are able to offer prayers.
According to historian Dr Pandurang Balkawade, during the Peshwa era, the Faraskhana area served as a warehouse for storing cloth. The British later established a police station there. After the assassination of Rand, the Chapekar brothers were held in custody at this very location. Historical records suggest that the Hanuman idol came into police possession during that period.
What history reveals
Revolutionaries Damodar Chapekar and Balkrishna Chapekar had taken an oath before this Hanuman idol prior to assassinating the British officer W.C. Rand. They also practised shooting in front of the same idol.
Following Rand’s assassination, the British authorities, in anger, arrested the Chapekar brothers and confiscated the idol as evidence, placing it in police custody.
Even after Independence, the idol remained in the police muddemal room for several years. A devout Hanuman devotee among the police personnel began worshipping it, and gradually a small shrine was set up within the police station itself.
Even today, police personnel perform prayers before the idol every Saturday.