In the aftermath of the Kolhapur violence which erupted after some people posted objectionable WhatsApp statuses praising Aurangzeb and Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan, the Mumbai police booked Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader Sandeep Deshpande for burning an effigy of Aurangzeb in Mumbai’s Shivaji Park. Along with Deshpande, 8 others have been booked by the Mumbai Police under sections 135 and 37 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
Notably, a sizable demonstration broke out in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, on Wednesday in opposition to a social media post that honoured the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb while demeaning a Maratha national icon Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
FIR registered against MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande and 8 others under Maharashtra police act 37, 135, for burning an effigy of Aurangzeb in the aftermath of Kolhapur protests: Mumbai Police
— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2023
(File Pic) pic.twitter.com/2c2FCihadn
A day after this incident, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande in Mumbai’s Shijavi Park is said to have burnt the effigy of Aurangzeb. “FIR registered against MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande and 8 others under Maharashtra police act 37, 135, for burning an effigy of Aurangzeb in the aftermath of Kolhapur protests,” informed the Mumbai Police.
It is notable that Mumbai Police had issued prohibitory orders in the city following violence in Kolhapur under sections 135 and 37 of the Maharashtra Police Act. According to the provisions of Section 37 of the act, the display of effigies is not allowed, among other restrictions like carrying arms, stones etc, when prohibitory orders are issued by a magistrate under this section. Section 135 lists the punishment applicable for violation of Section 37.
Meanwhile, 36 people have been arrested by the Kolhapur Police post massive violence in the city yesterday. As per the Police, 3 of the arrested persons are juveniles. Kolhapur Suprindent of Police (SP) Mahendra Pandit confirmed the development and added that the security in the city has been tightened though the situation has returned to normalcy.
“The situation of Kolhapur city and district has become normal since yesterday afternoon. 4 SRPF company, 300 Police constables and 60 officers deployed. Additional police arrangements have been made in the city to keep vigilance… 2 SRPF platoons from Pune, senior officers and a team of 100 jawans have come from Sangli and additional 1500 jawans have been deployed in the region,” the SP said.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: "The situation of Kolhapur city and district has become normal since yesterday afternoon. 4 SRPF company, 300 Police constables and 60 officers deployed…": Kolhapur SP Mahendra Pandit on the unrest that broke out yesterday in the city pic.twitter.com/bUlg3lysA3
— ANI (@ANI) June 8, 2023
According to the reports further, the police have filed 5 cases against persons who uploaded objectionable social media posts. The police are also said to have detained the persons and are interrogating them to know who influenced or allegedly forced them to post such controversial social media stories.
What happened in Kolhapur yesterday
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.
Earlier, similar incidents were reported in Ahmednagar and Yavatmal districts of Maharashtra. In Ahmednagar, four persons had 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, in Yavatmal 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.
Aurangzeb’s Deccan campaign alone took 4.6 million Hindu lives
In the 17th century, Aurangzeb was seen as most ruthless Muslim king whose reign saw a scale of religious violence in India that is listed as 23rd in 100 deadliest episodes of atrocities in human history. Having imprisoned his father and killed his brothers for the throne, Aurangzeb unleashed one of the strongest campaigns of religious violence in the Mughal Empire’s history. Aurangzeb re-introduced the jizya tax, led a number of campaigns against non-Muslims, destroyed Hindu temples, and arrested and executed the ninth Sikh guru Tegh Bahadur.
He not only destroyed temples but also built mosques on the foundations of destroyed temples. Idols were smashed and briefly Mathura became known as Islamabad in local official documents, while the major Hindu pilgrimage sites in Varanasi and Somnath were destroyed. Such was the scale of the carnage that entire town and even provinces became depopulated from religious violence. Aurangzeb’s Deccan campaign alone took 4.6 million Hindu lives, almost as much as in the Holocaust! During the Mughal-Maratha wars, about 2 million civilians died in war-torn lands due to famine, drought and plague.
In the current case, MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande and 8 others have been booked by the Mumbai Police under sections 135 and 37 of the Maharashtra Police Act.
