Communal tensions were reported in several districts of Maharashtra on Friday amid a bandh organised by Sakal Hindu Samaj, an umbrella group of Hindutva organisations, to protest the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, PTI reported.
Tensions were reported in Nashik, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalgaon and Ahmednagar districts.
Separately, Muslim groups also launched a protest in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar on Friday over Hindu religious leader Ramgiri Maharaj’s allegedly derogatory remarks against Islam and Prophet Muhammad, according to The Indian Express. The remarks were made recently at an event in Nashik and its video was widely shared on social media, the police said, according to PTI.
In Nashik, tensions flared up after a confrontation between the two sides. Both the groups threw stones at each other, reported The Indian Express. The clashes left six police officials, including two inspectors and the deputy commissioner of police, and two civilians, injured.
“Police personnel, including State Reserve Police Force jawans, were deployed in the area to maintain peace,” Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik told PTI.
On Friday, the Nashik City Police said in a social media post that it was filing cases and arresting the miscreants.
The bandh organised by the Sakal Hindu Samaj led to closure of shops in Nashik and Jalgaon, The Indian Express reported.
In Jalgaon, an automobile showroom was reportedly targeted by individuals participating in the protest march.
“The incident occurred in Jalgaon city this morning [Friday] during a protest march by the Sakal Hindu Samaj against the anti-Hindu violence in Bangladesh,” PTI quoted an unidentified police official as saying. “Some unidentified persons hurled a few stones at a two-wheeler showroom.”
Nashik Central MLA Devyani Farande was quoted as saying on Friday evening that the situation was under control.
The police in Maharashtra’s Thane, Yeola in Nashik and Vaijapur in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts have registered first information reports against Ramgiri for his remarks, PTI reported.
The police in Thane district’s Mumbra booked the religious leader under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to uttering words with intent to wound religious feelings, outraging religious feelings, promoting enmity between groups over religion, intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal intimidation.
The FIR in Vaijapur was filed based on a complainant by Rafehasan Ali Khan, who said that the Ramgiri’s remarks had “hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims and created a rift between the two communities”, according to PTI.
Amid the outrage over the leader’s remarks, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde shared the stage with the him at an event in Nashik district on Friday and called him a “saint”, PTI reported.
Ramgiri defended his comments, saying that they were in response to the violence against Hindus in Bangladesh, reported PTI.
“Hindus should remain alert,” he told Marathi news channel ABP Majha. “I have spoken what I wanted to. I am firm on it and I am ready to face its consequences.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government, had assured him that Hindus and all religious minorities in the country will be protected.
In a social media post, Yunus said that he had told Modi that the reports of attacks on religious minorities in Bangladesh “have been exaggerated”.
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