Ajit Pawar visits Vishalgad Fort, announces ₹50,000 for violence-affected families of village en route

jit’s visit on Thursday happened on the same day as the opposition MVA’s Shiv-Shahu sadbhavana or peace rally in Kolhapur—which has remained tense after the violence—and two days after Congress MP Chhatrapati Shahu led a party delegation to Gajapur and demanded action against the attackers

MUMBAI: Five days after a mob led by right-wing groups attacked Gajapur in Kolhapur district and vandalised a mosque, Ajit Pawar visited the village and declared financial assistance of ₹50,000 to each affected family. The deputy chief minister also visited the historical Vishalgad Fort, where a drive is on to remove encroachments.

Ajit Pawar visits Vishalgad Fort, announces ₹50,000 for violence-affected families of village en route

Ajit’s visit on Thursday happened on the same day as the opposition MVA’s Shiv-Shahu sadbhavana or peace rally in Kolhapur—which has remained tense after the violence—and two days after Congress MP Chhatrapati Shahu led a party delegation to Gajapur and demanded action against the attackers. The visit appeared timely, given Ajit’s repeated insistence that the NCP had not abandoned its secular ideology despite joining hands with the BJP.

After meeting the villagers, the deputy CM said that innocent people who had no connection with the fort encroachments had been targeted. “The district administration has completed a panchnama, and the cost of damage is ₹2.85 crore,” he said. Financial assistance of ₹50,000 each will be given to every affected family against the damages.”

The violence erupted on Sunday morning after former BJP Rajya Sabha MP Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje aggressively sought the removal of all encroachments, including those protected by a court order. Several right-wing groups also called out to followers to march to the fort. On the way, the mob went berserk and attacked Gajapur village located three kilometers away from the fort. videos of which went viral on social media platforms. The police booked 500 people and arrested 21, including Sambhajiraje.

Ajit expressed his displeasure at the rioting, saying that in Maharashtra people from all castes and communities had been taught to live in harmony right from Shivaji’s time. “Innocent people should not have been targeted,” he said, adding that the right-wing mob had also refused to pay heed to the district administration’s clarification on the court’s stay order. “The police have also found the videos that could disturb the peace and are taking appropriate action against them,” he said.

Congress MP Shahu Maharaj, who is the father of Sambhajiraje, declared that the peace march was being held because there were deliberate attempts to disturb harmony in the state. “The riots could have been stopped but the police did nothing,” he said.

Meanwhile, the district administration has started removing commercial structures on the fort against which there is no court injunction. The residential structures will be cleared after the monsoon, said the deputy CM.