{
  "id": 5284538,
  "title": "Caught On Camera: Vidyanand Bapat Slapped While Speaking To Media In Pune",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/caught-on-camera-vidyanand-bapat-slapped-while-speaking-to-media-in",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-03T07:34:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/pune/caught-on-camera-vidyanand-bapat-slapped-while-speaking-to-media-in-pune"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Thursday, Vidyanand Bapat, a vocal critic of DJs and loudspeakers during the Ganesh festival, was slapped while speaking to TV9 Marathi at Kashale Chowk in Pune. Footage captured the moment a man approached and struck Bapat, following which others joined the altercation. The incident occurred as Bapat was engaged in a feedback drive, speaking to the public about excessive noise during public festivals. He has been at the center of debates over the use of high-decibel sound systems during Ganeshotsav, leading to confrontations with Ganesh mandal workers. Bapat maintains that his objections are not directed against the festival itself but against excessive noise pollution. The latest incident has reignited discussions about the issue in Pune.",
  "summary": "Pune: Vidyanand Bapat, who has recently drawn attention for his campaign against DJs and high-decibel loudspeakers during the Ganesh festival, was allegedly slapped by a man while speaking to TV9 Marathi at Kashale Chowk on Tilak Road in Pune on Thursday. Footage of the incident shows Bapat speaking to the television channel when a man approaches him and allegedly slaps him. The situation then…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}