On Tuesday (12th March), a group of Muslims allegedly disrupted the performance of regular evening Aarti at a Hanuman Mandir in the Kamgar Colony in the Chikalthana area of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. According to reports, a Muslim mob barged into the temple and warned Hindus not to perform the Aarti for a month. Notably, the incident came a day after the month of Ramzan started on 11th March.
छत्रपती संभाजीनगर मधील चिकलठाणा येथील हनुमान मंदिरात एकत्रित झालेला सकल हिंदू समाज…
— Sudarshan Maharashtra (@SudarshanNewsMH) March 13, 2024
सविस्तर बातमीसाठी लिंक…https://t.co/1NoJ1PAQsJ pic.twitter.com/iYkJq5jFPN
On 12 March, when the regular Tuesday evening Arati was going on in the Hanuman Mandir at Chikalthana’s Kamgar Colony, Islamists barged in and warned Hindus not to conduct prayers for a month. This clearly meant that they wanted the aarti to be stopped during the month of Ramzan.
A day after the incident, Hindus performed a Maha Aarti on 13th March as a mark of protest against the Islamist violence. The Maha Arti was led by Shiv Sena (Shinde Faction) Zilla President Rajendra Janjal. The event was attended by over 1500 Hindus.
छत्रपती संभाजी नगर मधील चिकलठाणा येथे हनुमान मंदिराची आरती बंद करण्यासाठी रोज जिहादी हल्ले करत असल्याची घटना काल सुदर्शन मराठीने समोर आणली होती…
— Sudarshan Maharashtra (@SudarshanNewsMH) March 13, 2024
त्याचा परिणाम म्हणजे या घटनेनंतर आज संबंधित ठिकाणी हनुमान मंदिरात छत्रपती संभाजीनगर मधील सकल हिंदू समाजाने महाआरतीचे नियोजन केले… pic.twitter.com/68KHQj3mLO
A local media report says that three Hindu youths were brutally assaulted during the clash on Tuesday. Following this, communal tensions were high in the area and police had to resort to mild lathicharge to bring the situation under control. It has been reported that women were also mistreated during the altercation.
The clash erupted over the timings of prayer as both Hindus and Muslims started their prayers on loudspeakers on Tuesday. Reports say that stone-pelting and sloganeering also transpired during the clash. Notably, the police had reportedly asked Hindus to perform Aarti between 8 and 8.30 p.m., and Muslims to pray after that.
हनुमान मंदिराची आरती बंद करण्या साठी रोज जिहादी करताय हल्ले.
— Sudarshan Maharashtra (@SudarshanNewsMH) March 13, 2024
हनुमान मंदिर, छत्रपती संभाजी महाराज नगर च्या हिंदूंमध्ये जबरदस्त आक्रोश. pic.twitter.com/Lv1Sxt3ee1
Reportedly, the attackers hurled stones at youths on their way to Kamgar Colony for the Aarti, injuring three. When the youths at the temple learned about the stone pelting incident, they became enraged. They gathered on Jalna Road, blocking traffic and chanting slogans.
The injured Hindu youths were identified as Avinash Bondre, Sagar Banjare, and Shubham Rathod. They were taken to Zilla Hospital for treatment. Shubham told the police that they were on their way to the Hanuman Mandir for Aarti when they were pelted with stones. This generated panic and they hurried to Jalna Road in fright, leaving their motorcycles behind.
Notably, two cases have been filed in the matter. According to the complaint lodged by one Krishna Nage, the miscreants assaulted Rajni Gupta, Harilal Gupta, Krishna Nage, Raju Rothe, Ramsanai Gupta, and others. According to this complaint, CIDCO MIDC police have filed a case against Kamgar Colony residents Laila, Shakeel Jainuddin Shaikh, Akeel Jainuddin Shaikh, Anees Jainuddin, Rafiq Jainuddin Shaikh, Shoaib Salim Qureshi, and 12 others. In addition, a case has been filed against Deepak Rajendra Chavan, Ajay Gaikwad, and 30 to 40 others for rioting in response to Assistant Police Officer (Faujdar) Vishnu Munde’s complaint.
