Massive tensions erupted in the city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra on Wednesday, June 7, amid peaceful protest by Hindu organisations against people who posted social media stories praising Aurangzeb and Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan on the glorious day when the state celebrated the 350th Rajyabhishek Day of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The police had to resort to lathicharge and tear gas shells after the peaceful protest organised by several Hindu organisations was attacked by miscreants who pelted stones at the protesters. According to the local reports, the fight between the two groups happened after the Hindus were attacked by the miscreants.
“Some organisations had called for a Kolhapur bandh and the members of these organisations gathered at Shivaji Chowk today. After their demonstration ended, the crowd began to disperse but some miscreants started pelting stones, forcing police to use force against these people to disperse them,” Kolhapur Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit was quoted as saying.
kolhapur News Update: कोल्हापुर में हिंदू संगठनों का प्रदर्शन, पुलिस का लाठीचार्ज #Maharashtra #kolhapur #Protest | @shubhankrmishra | @ritvick_ab pic.twitter.com/acqkh1FW9W
— AajTak (@aajtak) June 7, 2023
Collector of Kolhapur, Rahul Rekhawar also stated that the situation in Kolhpur is under control and appealed to the citizens not to believe the rumours and to go with only official government statements.
(Video attached above shows stone-pelting from the terrace of a building. The video has been sent to OpIndia by one of the Hindu activists)
Apparently, the objectionable social media stories went viral a day after they were posted and Hindus had gathered in the city to seek action against the persons who posted such stories. “After the chaos, the police then resorted to lathi charge to disperse the crowd. It is being said that the two persons who posted the objectionable stories have been detained, but it’s unconfirmed,” the activist added.
Six arrested so far, confirms Police
Meanwhile, it has come to the fore that several shops have been vandalized in the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation, Ganji Galli, Mahadwar Road, Akbar Mohalla, and Shivaji Road adjacent to Shivaji Chowk area in the city of Kolhapur. However, the state police are said to have brought the situation under control by 12:30 pm. Kolhapur Zone IG Sunil Phulari also reviewed the situation and confirmed that six persons have been arrested in the case of violence and that further investigations are underway.
Internet services in Kolhapur suspended
Reports mention that the administration has ordered telecom companies to disconnect mobile internet services in Kolhapur to prevent any kind of offensive messages from going viral on social media. Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit confirmed the event and said it is a preventive measure to avoid any untoward incident from happening in the city.
Notably, there were a total of seven persons who had posted the objectionable WhatsApp status on the occasion of the 350th Rajyabhishek Day of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj yesterday. According to the sources, two of them belonged to Kolhapur while the others were from the nearby small towns. The police have booked a case against the persons who uploaded the status and have assured the Hindu activists that they will take action against them.
‘Disrespect to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will not be tolerated’: Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis
Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis commented on the issue and said that those who are praising the Islamic tyrants on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s land will not be spared. “This Maharashtra belongs to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and people who show disrespect to him will not be spared. This is intolerable. The situation in Kolhapur is being monitored and it is under control now. The state appeals to people to maintain peace,” he said.
'अचानक औरंगजेब की इतनी औलादें कहां से पैदा हो गईं, असली मालिक ढूंढेंगे…'
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) June 7, 2023
◆ कोल्हापुर कांड पर बोले देवेंद्र फडणवीस#Kolhapur | #AurangzebPosters | @Dev_Fadnavis pic.twitter.com/UPBXk5CPaU
Further, cabinet ministers Deepak Kesarkar and Shambhuraje Desai said that some of the political elements were making deliberate attempts to disturb the communal harmony in the state. The duo also warned that the miscreants would be dealt with a heavy hand.
Similar incidents were reported from Ahmednagar, Yavatmal
Earlier, a similar incident was reported from Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra where four persons flaunted posters of Aurangzeb during a procession on Sunday in the Mukundnagar area. The police have filed a case against four people in total and have arrested two of them.
Further, on May 17, Maharashtra Police filed an FIR against one person identified as Sheikh Aftaab Shiekh Mannan for uploading an Islamist propaganda social media story on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The accused person had posted a video in which Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was seen bowing down before Aurangzeb. “Aurangzeb Hindustan ka Baap,” the video captioned.
In the given case at present, tight police security has been deployed in the city of Kolhapur, particularly in some of the sensitive pockets with other forces reportedly kept on alert.
