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Yavat gram panchayat passes resolution to identify ‘outsiders’
Yavat is a prominent town with a population of 20,000 on the Pune-Solapur highway and a major marketplace in the Daund tehsil. Considering MIDC areas, jaggery factories, brick kilns many families from Marathwada, and other states settle here
Following the desecration of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on July 26, the Yavat gram panchayat, on Wednesday, passed a resolution to identify “outsiders” settled in the town and take appropriate action against them.
Yavat is a prominent town with a population of 20,000 on the Pune-Solapur highway and a major marketplace in the Daund tehsil. Considering MIDC areas, jaggery factories, brick kilns many families from Marathwada, and other states settle here.
Villagers claimed that an accused involved in the desecration of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was an outsider who had settled here. To protest against this, a community march was held in Yavat on July 27.
Sarpach Sammer Durge said, “A resolution was passed, and accordingly, we have decided to ask authorities to identify the outsiders and take necessary action against them to maintain peace in the village. Accordingly, on Friday, we had decided to meet the authorities before the violence spread.”
According to Durge, there are slum areas like Indira Nagar and Sahakar Nagar, where outsiders have settled. The resolution calls for a detailed survey to identify and verify the background of non-local individuals residing in the area. He also claimed that these outsiders have constructed illegal religious structures, mostly of which were targeted in Friday’s violence.
The move is being seen as an effort to maintain law and order and prevent future disturbances, he added.
Local leaders stated that the decision was made in the interest of public safety. “This is not targeted at any community but is a precautionary step to ensure peace and harmony,” said a senior gram panchayat member requesting anonymity.
Samir Sayyad, a resident of Yavat, said, “How can they give an outsider tag to anybody who, along with his family, has been living in Yavat for the last 15-20 years and has all the documents?”
Sayyad claimed that all communities participated in a protest march held on Sunday to protest against the desecration of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. But a day later, certain community members held a separate march and blamed the minority, which is wrong.
However, communal violence in Yavat has been described as part of a pre-planned conspiracy by the National Conference for Minority. The organisation has submitted a written memorandum to the Pune district collector demanding immediate and strict action against all those involved in the violence. It has also called for action against political leaders who allegedly delivered provocative speeches that triggered the unrest.
“Some MLAs are consistently pushing a divisive agenda. Wherever certain leaders, known for their inflammatory speeches, hold meetings, incidents of communal tension seem to follow,” the memorandum stated.
The organisation has urged the state government to ban such inflammatory public meetings and arrest leaders who have a history of inciting communal unrest through their speeches.
