Police are facing a difficulty in preventing any flare-ups after racial tensions flared in Akola city and Shevgaon village in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district over a religious social media post in the previous two days.
Due to the situation, curfews have been tightened in several areas by the police. So far, more than 130 individuals have been arrested.
The conflict that erupted on Saturday night in Akola’s delicate Old City district resulted in one death and 13 injuries, including two police officers, according to the police.
While BJP state minister Girish Mahajan said that the violence in Akola may have been “pre-planned,” deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis asserted that the government would teach such organizations and individuals a lesson.
regarding the racial violence in general
The two groups’ members engaged in extensive vandalism and stone-throwing. During the unrest, numerous two- and four-wheeled vehicles were set on fire by the rioters.
At least five people were hurt during an altercation over a parade on Sunday night in Shevgaon village in the Ahmednagar district of west Maharashtra. Stone-pelting caused damage to a number of stores and automobiles, the police said on Monday.
In all, 132 persons have been held by the police, including 32 in Shevgaon and over 100 in Akola. An official said that cases had been brought against 150 persons in Shevgaon, which is 65 kilometers from the Ahmednagar district administrative center.
District Magistrate Nima Arora imposed a curfew in four police station areas of the city after the violence in Akola in order to preserve peace and order, according to a senior official.
The curfew was loosened on Monday, according to the official, in regions within City Kotwali and Ramdas Peth police station borders.
However, he said, it will still be in effect at night (between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m.) inside the boundaries of the Dabki Road and Old City police stations, with certain exceptions made during the day.
To stop the propagation of rumors, internet connectivity has been halted in Akola and Shevgaon, according to authorities.
What has the government said?
Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, ordered the police to take harsh punishment against those responsible for the disturbances in Akola and Shevgaon on Monday and urged people to uphold peace and social harmony, according to his office.
“The police force has been dispatched, and the situation in Akola and Shevgaon is now under control. State agricultural development minister Girish Mahajan personally visited Akola on the orders of state home minister Devendra Fadnavis, and revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil examined the situation in Shegaon, according to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).
It is undoubtedly true that certain individuals and groups want the state to stay unstable, according to Fadnavis. However, the government will expose them and give them a lesson at the same time.
What statements did the various political parties make?
State Minister for Rural Development Girish Mahajan said the altercation may have been “pre-planned” earlier in the day. On Sunday, Mahajan traveled to the devastated neighborhoods in Akola.
“Some homes and automobiles sustained damage. After speaking with the relatives of the victim, Vilas Gaikwad (40), who was murdered in the fracas, he promised reporters that “strict action would be taken against the culprits.”
According to Mahajan, the government has promised the family of the deceased help in the amount of Rs 4 lakh.
Chandrakant Khaire, a leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and a former member of parliament from Aurangabad, said that riots were started in Maharashtra to prevent Muslim voters from supporting the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Communal tensions have existed ever since the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis combination into office, according to Khaire.
An attempt by a group of persons of a different faith to force their way into the temple grounds on Saturday night was foiled by security personnel at the well-known Trimbakeshwar temple in Nashik district, a trust official said on Monday.
Only Hindus are permitted to visit the temple, one of Lord Shiva’s 12 Jyotirlingas, according to the temple administration.
The police had received a complaint from the temple trust.
A police officer noted that there has not yet been any complaint filed.