MUMBAI: Cash offerings at the Lalbaugcha Raja mandal touched Rs 3.85 crore Wednesday. Gold artefacts weighing 3.1kg and silver weighing 42kg have been placed by devotees anonymously in its bullion hundi. The highlight is a 1.2kg golden idol of Lord Ganesh worth Rs 42 lakh, as well as a large mace of silver. The crown of the Ganesha idol has a diamond encrusted in it. The annual auction of offerings is scheduled September 27.Video footage of the incident shows the DCP being forced to climb over a barricade to urge karyakartas to not allow their "preferred worshippers" in the opposite direction of the queue. One volunteer turned argumentative and refused to pay heed."I visited the mandal to seek details of the incident and warned them to conduct themselves properly with devotees. We have also received reports of women being manhandled by male volunteers, which is unacceptable," Dige said.Some years ago, the footage had surfaced of women constables being roughed up by volunteers. Live coverage of the pandal shows how most female worshippers are routinely forced out physically by male karyakartas.Mandal president Balasaheb Kamble said, "The charity commissioner visited to check arrangements. Tuesday's incident was unfortunate but the matter has been sorted." He declined to say whether the offender had apologised to the DCP.In 2017 officials of the charity commissioner's department had watched the annual auction of gold and silver offerings at the pandal. There is no immediate plan to do so this year.

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