BJP activists protest against Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal’s remarks equating Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj with Tipu Sultan outside Congress Bhavan, in Pune, Sunday, February 15, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Tension intensified between Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) functionaries over the Tipu Sultan controversy on Sunday (February 15, 2026) after an FIR was filed against Congress leader Harshvardhan Sapkal following stone throwing near Congress Bhavan, the headquarters of the Congress in Maharashtra’s Pune, when workers of both parties came face to face.
The BJP registered the FIR against Maharashtra Congress president Mr. Sapkal for his comment allegedly comparing Tipu Sultan to Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Dheeraj Ghate, BJP Pune city president, registered the FIR, stating that Harshvardhan Sapkal’s statement had hurt the sentiments of people who revere Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and insulted the Maharaj. The FIR was filed late on Saturday (February 14, 2026) night at Parvati police station.
On Sunday afternoon, stone throwing took place, with some people injured and some vehicles damaged, as per the police.
Mr. Sapkal condemned the stone throwing and slammed the BJP, alleging that the Pune incident was evidence that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wanted to incite riots in the State by twisting his statement. “In the presence of the police, BJP workers threw stones, launching a life-threatening attack on Congress women workers and women journalists. Pune Police must immediately register cases and arrest those responsible for instigating the rioters, including Dheeraj Ghate and Mayor Manjusha Nagpure.”
According to the Congress, the BJP protested outside Congress Bhavan and Congress workers gathered in support of their State president. Congress leader Prashant Jagtap slammed the BJP for twisting the statement, saying they were elevating the issue to hide the Metro 4 accident and the statement of Bhagatsingh Koshyari on Shivaji Maharaj. Dheeraj Ghate alleged that Congress workers threw stones when the protest ended peacefully, asking, “We did the protest by the book, so why did Congress workers come together in huge numbers, having wooden sticks.”
The controversy was triggered on Saturday after Shiv Sena protested the installation of Tipu Sultan’s portrait in the office of the newly elected deputy mayor in Malegaon, which was later removed. The BJP protested after Mr. Sapkal called Tipu Sultan a brave warrior who fought the British and asked that he be viewed on a par with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Chief Minister Fadnavis called the comparison “unacceptable”.
On Sunday, the BJP protested in Pune as well as Mumbai by putting black ink on photographs of Harshvardhan Sapkal and burning his effigies. Mr. Sapkal asked, “How is Devendra Fadnavis comfortable with Tipu Sultan’s photo on BJP posters and banners during municipal elections? Is an alliance with the communal AIMIM acceptable?” The names of BJP leaders have appeared in the Epstein files; there is the issue of a trade agreement with the United States, and there are burning issues in the State as well. They are diverting attention from these core issues.
Mr. Sapkal also pointed out that the BJP planned to march to the Congress office and burn his effigies on Tuesday (February 17), asking, “Will the BJP also burn the effigies of Savarkar and Koshyari for their statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj? Savarkar referred to Shivaji Maharaj’s Hindavi Swarajya as a ‘coincidental event [like a crow sitting and a branch breaking].”
Published – February 15, 2026 10:14 pm IST
