In a first for the annual Pandharpur Wari pilgrimage, the Maharashtra government's newly introduced air ambulance service was used to airlift a critically ill pilgrim, enabling him to receive timely specialised treatment amid the massive Ashadhi Ekadashi rush.

The emergency evacuation involved 54-year-old Balu Padalu, a resident of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, who suffered severe chest pain while visiting the Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Temple in Pandharpur.