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Last updated: June 13, 2023, at 23:44 IST
The clashes were reportedly triggered by the status of three young men on WhatsApp. (file photo/News18)
The districts of Kolhapur and Ahmednagar witnessed violence last week due to posts on social media about the 18th century ruler of Mysuru state Tipu Sultan and the 17th century Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
At least 12 cases related to communal tensions have been registered in six districts of Maharashtra including Kolhapur and Ahmednagar over the past three days, a police official said on Tuesday. He said a 29-year-old man from Kolhapur, who allegedly used Tipu Sultan’s photo with the caption “bharat ka rajah” on social media, has been arrested on charges of causing enmity between two communities.
The districts of Kolhapur and Ahmednagar witnessed violence last week due to posts on social media about the 18th-century ruler of Mysuru Tipu Sultan and the 17th-century Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
“We have recorded crimes against six people over the past two days in Kolhapur, Ahmednagar and Nashik districts and we have arrested one of them from Kolhapur,” the official said.
Among the six men was a 22-year-old man from Barner in Ahmednagar district. A case has been registered against him due to a post on social media. Cases have been registered against four others from Uttar Pradesh for causing enmity between two groups in Malegaon in Nashik district. The police official said the four attended a vocational guidance program for college students in Malegaon and allegedly started comparing religions during the programme.
He said they have been booked under Section 295(a) (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to stir up the religious sentiments of any group by insulting their religion or religious beliefs) and other relevant provisions of the Indian Penal Code, adding that no arrests were made in this case. . In Kolhapur, where internet services were down for 31 hours last week, police registered four cases and arrested 41 people. In Ahmednagar, cases were registered against four people after they were found carrying Aurangzeb’s poster during a procession in the Vackerwada area of ​​Sangamner.
Two days later, an incident of rock throwing was reported during a rally organized by a Hindu group. A 17-year-old boy, resident of Kasbe Digras village in Sangli district, allegedly used the photo of Afzal Khan, opponent of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, as his display picture on WhatsApp with the caption ‘Baap to baap hota hain’ which led to tensions in the district Monday. A case has been registered against him under Section 298 of the Iraqi Penal Code (uttering words to intentionally hurt religious feelings), the official said, adding that no one has been arrested. As a result, a group of unknown persons threw stones at a mosque in the village.
He said an FIR was registered against more than a dozen people under the relevant sections of the IPC including riots.
It was said that a group of unidentified persons threw red at a religious place of the Muslim community in Busegaon, Satara district on Monday morning. The official said that a case under Article 295(a) of the IPC (harming religious sentiments) has been registered against them.
A group of more than 40 people attacked the home of a Muslim man who allegedly shared Tipu Sultan’s photo on social media on Monday morning at Wathar Police Station in Satara district on Monday. The official said the mob beat Akhil Maqsood Patel, his father and mother during the attack. He pointed out that a case of assault and rioting in this regard was recorded.
A ‘darih’ (mausoleum) of the Muslim community has been vandalized by unknown persons near Sajjangad in Satara tehsil. The official said the incident occurred on Monday afternoon and a case was registered. He said a case was registered on Monday over an objectionable Facebook post in Tumsar, Bhandara district.
(This story was not edited by the News18 staff and was published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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