Mumbai, Dec. 7: Lucknow airport’s refusal to let a spiritual leader board his Mumbai flight with his religious staff sparked overnight unrest in Maharashtra, including violence at the Mumbai and Aurangabad airports.

Some 25 people were injured when Mumbai police and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) caned followers of Narendra Maharaj at Mumbai airport last night as they protested by blockading the domestic terminal.

Today, clashes broke out between the police and the Maharaj’s followers at various places in the state, with workers of the Shiv Sena and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad ? which are close to the monk ? vandalising Aurangabad airport. About 190 people were arrested for rioting.

The hugely popular sant from Naneej in Konkan ? who was to deliver a spiritual discourse on Wednesday morning in Bhiwandi, Thane ? took an Indian Airlines flight from Lucknow last evening. But the airport cited security and confiscated his dharmadand or bramhadand, a four-foot-long staff adorned with a saffron cloth that symbolises his spiritual authority.

Over 200 followers who had gathered at the Mumbai airport to welcome the Maharaj grew restive when they heard the news.

They began shouting slogans and blocked the exit and entry points to the domestic terminal.

After repeated appeals failed to make them budge, the police and CISF made a baton-charge, injuring many of the protesters including women and journalists.

This led to a dharna that continued till the Maharaj arrived. The monk described the seizure of his dharmadand as an “insult to Hinduism” and condemned the baton-charge.

The protests spilled over to many places today, including Sambhaji Nagar in Aurangabad, Naneej where the Maharaj’s ashram is located, Nasik and Bhiwandi.

The religious staff, however, was flown to Mumbai from Lucknow and handed over to waiting followers of the Maharaj. The staff was carried to Bhiwandi and given to the monk.

“We have set a 24-hour deadline for the authorities concerned and the police to apologise for their behaviour,” the Maharaj told reporters at Bhiwandi. He said his followers would refrain from violent protests on the issue.

But saffron groups took up the cudgels on behalf of the Maharaj, who is revered by many leading state politicians, such as chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Shiv Sena leaders Uddhav Thackeray and Manohar Joshi and Congress leader Narayan Rane.

VHP state chief Vyankatesh Abdev said, “The VHP had staged similar protests last month when Swami Avimuketeshwaranand Maharaj of the Dwarka Peeth was not allowed by Indian Airlines to carry the dharmadand. The airline gave us a written apology and assured us it would never stop spiritual leaders in this manner. But they have done it again.