The Mumbai Police, currently busy displaying all its bravado on social media platforms by indulging in ‘meme attack’ on common citizens, had once waited at least one week in 2012 to arrest the accused of the infamous Azad Maidan riots unleashed by violent Muslim mobs.
The Mumbai police had allowed the Muslim youths, accused of rioting in Azad Maidan to celebrate Eid before making an arrest.
According to Times of India report, dated August 16, 2012, the Mumbai crime branch had identified around 35-40 Muslim youths from various parts of Mumbai for rioting near Azad Maidan ground to protest against alleged atrocities on Muslims in Burma and Myanmar.
However, the Mumbai had to wait one week to arrest the violent Muslim mobsters as Islamic festival of Eid was due on April 19 and 20, 2012.
Reportedly, many of the protestors were scared and wanted to surrender before the police but they did not want to spend their festival-Ramzan Eid inside the police lockups. The accused had in fact openly declared that they would surrender only after spending Eid. Many accused were advised by their lawyers to surrender only after the Eid celebrations.
The lawyers had advised the Muslim youths to go underground or stay away from their permanent houses as police and police informers would find them.
It is pertinent to note that the Congress was ruling Maharasthra in 2012 with Prithviraj Chavan acting as the Chief Minister of the state as Sonia Gandhi-ruled UPA was at the helm of affairs even in the centre.
Azad Maidan Riots
On 11 August 2012, the Muslim organisations led by Raza academy had staged a morcha at Azad Maidan ground to protest against the alleged atrocities on Muslims in Assam and Myanmar. The protest was staged by Muslims organisations in Azad Maidan to condemn the Rakhine riots and Assam riots, which later turned into a riot.
To condemn the Assam and Rakhine riots, Raza Academy had organized a protest rally. However, the protest turned violent after one of the notorious group attacked the policemen leading to police firing in which two persons were killed and 63 persons including 58 policemen were injured.
Raza Academy which had organized the protest had earlier assured the Mumbai Police that only 1500 people would turn up. However, more than 15000 people assembled at the Azad Maidan and later the crowd swelled to over 40000 people resulting in Muslim mobs unleashing violence on the streets of Mumbai.
The most shocking incident of the Azad Maidan Riots was the desecration of Amar Jawan Jyoti memorial by the Muslim mobs. The war memorial is dedicated to the fighters of 1857 – the First Indian Freedom Struggle.
