Munde blames police for tension at Miraj

General Secretary Gopinath Munde, who was detained at the Mumbai airport when he was on his way to violence-hit Sangli district, blamed the state police for the situation there.

General Secretary Gopinath Munde, who was detained at the Mumbai airport when he was on his way to violence-hit Sangli district, blamed the state police for the situation there.

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"Police are mishandling the situation by not allowing immersion of Ganesh idols. I was going there to listen to the people but was detained by police at the airport," Munde told PTI.

Munde was scheduled to take a flight to Kolhapur from where he was to go by road to Miraj where curfew is in place following communal violence during Ganesh festival last week.

Munde's boarding pass for the Kolhapur flight was also seized by police at the airport.

However, officials said he was detained as his address could aggravate the tense situation in the district.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Brijesh Singh said Munde has been prevented from going to Miraj in wake of the communal clashes there and his boarding pass has been seized.

Munde was to address a meeting in connection with a recent riot at Miraj in the district, BJP sources said.

The trouble had started on Anant Chaturdashi day-- September 3-- when some pro-Hindutva organisations tried to raise an arch on the Ganesh idol immersion procession route, depicting murder of Mughal warrior Afzulkhan by king Shivaji as recorded in the Maratha history.

This led to a clash between two groups and violence that had repercussions in Sangli city also.