Mob torches police, pvt vehicles as two groups clash in Sambhaji Nagar

The tension escalated in the Muslim-dominated Kiradpura after a brawl broke out following a motorbike accident and shouting of slogans by a group of youths at around 11 pm on Wednesday. The group had come to the local Ram temple on the eve of Ram Navami, and while returning, reportedly shouted slogans that led to arguments with other groups in the area

Mumbai: A violent clash broke out between two groups in the Kiradpura area in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangbad) in central Maharashtra on Wednesday night, resulting in stone-pelting and torching of private and police vehicles by a 500-strong mob. The police deployed additional forces and held a peace committee meeting to restore communal harmony. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the situation in the city was under control.

**EDS: TO GO WITH STORY** Aurangabad: Police personnel deployed after a clash between two groups near a Ram temple in Aurangabad, Thursday, March 30, 2023. (PTI Photo)(PTI03_30_2023_000279B) (PTI)

The tension escalated in the Muslim-dominated Kiradpura after a brawl broke out following a motorbike accident and shouting of slogans by a group of youths at around 11 pm on Wednesday. The group had come to the local Ram temple on the eve of Ram Navami, and while returning, reportedly shouted slogans that led to arguments with other groups in the area. The situation escalated, leading to an outbreak of full-fledged violence.

Rumours, fake social media posts and instigatory reactions by some political leaders fuelled the tension, according to the police, who had to use tear gas and resort to lathi charges to disperse the crowd. Additional forces, including three companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and Rapid Action Force (RAF) have now been deployed. “We have also retrieved CCTV footage from the spot and have been monitoring all 750 CCTV cameras second-by-second to avoid any untoward incident,” Astik Kumar Pandey, collector, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, told Hindustan Times.

Kulwant Kumar Sarangal, additional director-general (law and order) said that the situation was completely under control. “The local police handled it very well and brought the violence under control within two hours,” he said. When asked about AIMIM MP Syed Imtiaz Jaleel’s statement that the police reached the spot very late, he said there was no substance in the allegations.

The incident, which happened just before the joint rally of the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) at Sambhaji Nagar on April 2, snowballed into a political controversy, with the MVA parties accusing the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP government of masterminding it. “The only intention of this government is to create unrest in Maharashtra,” said Thackeray faction MP Sanjay Raut. “Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has failed as home minister.” Raut also clarified that the MVA rally would be held as decided.

Ambadas Danve, leader of the opposition in the legislative council, who belongs to Sambhaji Nagar, alleged that leaders from the state government and the All-India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had teamed up to create the unrest. “Since last month, some people from the BJP, the Shinde faction and AIMIM have been trying to disturb the communal harmony in Sambhaji Nagar, and this violence is the result of it,” he said. “We alerted the police about possible communal tension but they also failed in their duty.”

NCP leader Ajit Pawar also blamed the government for its failure to prevent the communal clash and demanded a thorough investigation by the police to trace the mastermind behind it. “The police should probe the case without any political pressure and find out whether it was a deliberate attempt to create communal hatred between two communities,” he said in Nashik.

Deputy chief minister and home minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the police had brought the situation under control. “Political leaders from all parties should refrain from giving any provocative statements in such a time of tension,” he said. “Some leaders have been deliberately doing this for obvious reasons.”

The clash that erupted between the two groups supposedly happened against the background of the brewing tension between the two communities because of the renaming of the city and a recent protest march held by the Hindu Sakal Samaj. The Muslim community, led by AIMIM, had protested against the renaming of the city, saying it was forced on them even when the case was pending in court.

The Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar police commissioner Nikhil Gupta said that four miscreants had been detained and the investigation would gather pace once the Ram Navami processions were concluded. “An FIR has been registered against 400 to 500 unidentified people,” he said. “The mob gathered at the spot, pelted stones and had petrol-filled bottles with them. Stones and bottles were thrown at police personnel.” Nine policemen were injured in the clash and one of them is still under treatment in a local hospital.