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In a bid to evict Muslim family, society secretary hatches ‘PFI Zindabad’ plan
A resident of Neel Angan Housing Society in Navi Mumbai is in legal trouble after pasting notes with Islamic slogans on residents' doors.
Conflict of opinion and disagreements about managing a housing society are common, but a resident of Neel Angan Housing Society, in New Panvel, decided to employ extreme means to express his grudge against some of the residents, and also evict a Muslim family living in the building for three years, which has landed him in a legal quandary.
The 68-year-old retired central government employee, who is also the secretary of the housing society, allegedly pasted notes inked with ‘PFI Zindabad’ and ‘786’ on the front doors and calling bells of several residents, hoping that the finger of suspicion would go on the Muslim family, who are known to keep to themselves. He also hoped that by creating panic, other residents would turn to him for advice and any existing dissent among them would be quelled.
While Popular Front of India (PFI), a radical Islamic organisation, was banned by the Government of India in 2022, 786 is regarded a holy number in Islam.
The matter came to light on June 24 when Anirudh Manik Dharmadhikari, 33, a design engineer employed in a private firm, found the scribbled notes outside his flat, after he returned from a party with friends late in the night. “As I was climbing up, I found a sticker pasted on the railing of the second floor outside my house. When I opened it, I found the number ‘786’ written on it,” Dharmadhikari had said in his complaint to Khandeshwar police. Additionally, he also found a crumbled note outside the door of his flat in which was scripted ‘PFI Zindabad’ in green ink. Along with this, were two crackers and a doused incense stick. He immediately alerted other residents of the society, and together they searched the building looking for similar notes pasted elsewhere.
“Our search led to multiple places where similar stickers were placed. This led to panic in the building, as we were unsure about the intent of the person who was behind such an act,” Dharmadhikari said, adding they did not suspect any neighbour guilty of the crime.
This compelled Dharmadhikari to file an FIR at Khandeshwar police station the next day, following which residents of the 14 flats in the three-storeyed building were questioned.
“We were sure that this was the handiwork of one of the residents. Our suspicion was raised by the manner in which the senior citizen was responding to us. We also learnt that he was trying to influence other residents of the building by urging them to believe a certain neighbour may have been behind this,” said senior police inspector Chandrakant Landge.
The police scanned the CCTV (installed on the third floor) footage, which showed the accused emerging from the terrace, where similar notes and incense sticks were found scattered. “The same incense sticks were found in his residence. He clearly did not think that the issue could become so serious. He thought that the police might just warn everyone and leave but since PFI is a banned organisation we had to take the matter seriously,” the officer said. He added that despite the department’s eyes on him, the accused continued to believe that the cops’ suspicion might be on the Muslim family. “He also had issues with the owner of the flat where the family stayed on rent,” the officer said. Meanwhile, the family that was targeted by the accused was panic-stricken with the course of events and after the reality came to light were put at ease.
The accused was booked under section 152-A of the IPC (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence). “Adhering to Supreme Court guidelines, we have served him a notice under section 41 A (1) of Code of Criminal Procedure,” Landge said.
