The state of Maharashtra is witnessing a massive increase in crime incidents against Hindus. Especially after the Lok Sabha Elections where the Muslim community in the state managed to get the NCP (Sharad Pawar), Shiv Sena (UBT), and INC in the majority, Islamists have seemingly become fearless and are launching unnecessary attacks on the Hindu activists or leaders. The state stood shaken last week as it saw around 7-8 incidents where the Islamists attacked the Hindu community people just for belonging to one particular region.
1. Akshay Dhavre attacked for raising voice against Islamists in Pune:
The most dreadful incident happened in the Lohiyanagar region of Maharashtra’s Pune district last week when a Hindu activist identified as Akshay Dhavre was attacked by Atul Khan, Salman Sheikh, Sultan Sheikh, Aslam Patel, Asif Sheikh, and 4 others. The Hindu Dalit activist was attacked by the Islamists only for belonging to a particular region and keeping an association with the BJP.
A detailed report in this case was obtained by OpIndia. The accused persons were booked by the Khadak Police Station u/s 307, 324, 323, 143, 147, 148 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, sections 4 and 25 of the Arms Act, 1959; sections 37(1), 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951 and sections 3(1)(2) and 3(1)(10) of the SC/ST Act, 1989.
On 23rd June, Sunday the victim and his friends were having tea on the Shankarsheth Road. The accused persons, from nowhere arrived on the spot on bikes and began issuing threats to Akshay. “Today we’ll do with him. He is God for many Dalits in Lohiyanagar. Earlier two attempts to kill him were foiled. Not this time,” the accused persons were heard saying as mentioned in the FIR.
The accused persons later launched a sword attack on Akshay who managed to foil it by moving aside. In this, however, he lost his thumb. Later, Salman Sheikh and Asif Sheikh attacked the victim from behind resulting in severe injuries on his head and back. Also, the other accused persons assaulted the victim and his friends after which the latter ran to save their lives.
Meanwhile, the accused persons followed the victim and his friends and said, “Hum yaha ke baap hai. Hamare khilaf agar koi bolega to hum use jinda nhi chodenge (We rule over this locality. We won’t spare anyone who would talk against us).” A detailed report of this case can be read here.
#DalitLivesMatters
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) June 24, 2024
Matang Hindu Dalit youth leader Akshay Dhavare brutally attacked by #Jihadi gang of A Khan, Salman Balli Sheikh, Asmal Patel, Yousuf, Aasif Mendha at Lohiya Nagar for opposing radicals, it's under @PuneCityPolice @CPPuneCity jurisdiction!
Victim's fingers… pic.twitter.com/BO0rWC1UTu
2. Rohit Thorat, another Hindu Dalit leader attacked in Pune:
On June 27th, another similar incident was reported from the Lohiyanagar area of Pune district. Hindu Dalit leader, Rohit Thorat was attacked by a group of people identified as Afridi Sheikh, also known as Budha, Sadiq Sajja, Izaz Sheikh, and four additional accomplices. Thorat’s attack looks to be a targeted act of violence directed at his advocacy and efforts to improve the Dalit community. Thorat has been outspoken about the challenges and injustices that his community faces, making him a possible target for those who oppose his work.
FIR copy of the said incident has been obtained by OpIndia.
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the victim was stopped and assaulted by the accused persons in the Gangadha area of Pune when he was on his way home from a relative’s place. The accused persons crashed their autorickshaw vehicles onto the bike on which the victim was traveling and began threatening him. They then launched an attack on the victim using sharp weapons.
The Police have imposed sections 307, 504, 341, 506, 34 of the Indian Penal Code, 37(1), 135 of the Maharashtra Police Act, and sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), 3(2), 3(v), 3(2)(va) and 6 of the SC/ST Act, 1989.
3. Third dangerous attack on Hindu activist in Pune’s Lohiyanagar: LRO
In a series, the third dreadful attack on a Hindu activist was reported from the Lohiyanagar area of Pune district. On July 3rd, Matang Hindu Dalit youth, Adarsh Bharat Hanuvate was attacked, the incident of which was shared by the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) on social media. LRO accused the Pune City Police of torturing Hindus and concealing the crime in a desperate bid to protect the perpetrators.
3rd #Jihadi attack on #Dalit youth at Lohia Nagar, Pune!
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) July 3, 2024
Matang Hindu Dalit youth Adarsh Bharat Hanuvate attacked by Jihadis in a bid to vacate Dalits n usurp their land. @PuneCityPolice torturing Hindus in a desparate bid to cover up crime n to shield Izalmists!
We urge HM… pic.twitter.com/BSDDtfIhpi
Apart from Pune and Mumbai, the state witnessed attacks also in other parts of the state like Nanded, Sabhajinagar and Thane.
4. Muslim students assault 4 Hindus for celebrating T20 World Cup win in Nanded, Maharashtra
On June 29th, around 20-25 Muslim youngsters launched an attack on 4 Hindu students after the latter celebrated India’s T20 World Cup win in the Shrinagar area of Maharashtra’s Nanded region. The accused persons barged into the rented apartment of the 4 victims and assaulted them with sticks and iron rods. The victims identified as Vikas Madvi, Raosaheb Narwade, Balaji Pormad, and Kapil Patil suffered serious injuries after which a police complaint was filed. The entire incident got recorded in the CCTV footage in which the accused can be seen barging into the apartment of the victims. The owner of the apartment confirmed the incident and said that all the accused persons belonged to the Muslim community.
5. Hindu woman molested in Thane, threatened not to file an FIR
On the 27th, an FIR was registered by Thane Police against one Shehzad Sheikh u/s 354, 354D, and 452 of the IPC after he molested a Hindu woman and forced her to keep her mouth shut. The incident happened last week in the Hajuri Dargah region of Thane which is Muslim dominated area. The accused molested a Hindu woman residing in the area. Later, as per the Sakal Hindu Samaj, when the woman went to seek shelter in a nearby temple, around 100-150 Muslims entered the temple wearing shoes and threatened the woman not to file a police complaint.
Earlier, the Hindu community claimed that the police resisted filing an FIR in the case but later the accused was arrested. However, it is alleged that the accused was being protected by an individual identified as Vikas R who faked his contacts with CM Eknath Shinde. He is said to have pressured the police to take minimal action against the accused. The accused as per the LRO was just put in judicial custody instead of police custody.
Sakal Hindu Samaj, Thane on June 30th organized a massive protest and demanded strict punishment against the accused. The Hindus also stated that their religious feelings had been hurt after Muslims entered the temple wearing shoes. The FIR copy of the said incident has been obtained by OpIndia. The Hindu locals demand the strictest punishment against the accused and safety for the Hindu community residing in the area.
6. Nasirullah raped minor boy inside madrassa in Thane
On Wednesday (26th June), a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against a man for raping an 11-year-old boy inside the premises of a madrassa in Bhiwandi city in the Thane district of Maharashtra. As per reports, the accused was identified as Nasirullah. The incident occurred when the victim was studying in the madrassa. Nasirullah sexually assaulted the minor boy and performed ‘unnatural sex.’
The accused has been booked under the Prevention of Child Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The cops have now launched a search operation to nab Nasirullah.
7. Hindu family in Pune assaulted by Monty Sayyed, Jameer, and others after argument over Eid goat hitting a child
On 17th June this year, a Hindu family residing in the Yerwada region of Pune was brutally assaulted by a large Muslim mob resulting in severe injuries. The incident happened when the 3-year-old Hindu girl from his family was playing in the courtyard. Meanwhile, the 3-4 minor boys belonging to the Muslim community, residing in the same area were playing with the goats which their family had got for slaughter on Bakrid.
One of the goats ran and hit the girl after which her family rushed to the courtyard to see what had happened. As they asked the boys about the incident they began arguing with the Hindu family members and also began assaulting them. The members from the minority community pelted stones at the Hindu family. They also attacked the family using rods and sticks.
The Police had booked 5 persons and detained 12 in the case including minors. The FIR copy of the said incident was obtained by OpIndia. The sections imposed by the Pune Police in the given case were sections 143 (unlawful assembly), 147 (punishment for rioting), 149, 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 504 (intentional insult or provocation), and 337 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. A detailed report of this case can be read here.
8. Mira Road: Hindus insulted assaulted by Islamists for stopping goat slaughter in residential society
This interesting case from the Mira Road region of Mumbai was exclusively reported by OpIndia on 18th June. The Kashigaon Police Station booked an individual named Vajud, a resident of Hill Galaxy Apartment, for insulting and threatening Hindus and abusing the religion saying, “Hinduo ke m** ki ch**”. The FIR was filed under sections 295A and 153A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
The incident happened on 16th June when Muslim residents residing in the Hill Galaxy Apartment and JP North Celeste Society on Mira Road got goats inside the society premises for illegal slaughter ahead of the Bakrid festival. The Hindus protested against the incident and called the police. However, the police allowed the goats saying that there was no livestock policy within the society.
Amid this, the Hindus launched massive protests and objected to the slaughter on the society’s premises. However, the Muslim residents argued with the Hindus and claimed that they would slaughter the goats on the society’s premises.
The FIR copy which has been obtained by OpIndia says that the Muslims threatened the Hindus saying they (Muslims) would slaughter the goats within the society premises, come what may. “Do whatever you can. We will slaughter animals here only, within the society premises. Hinduo ke m** ki ch**,” Vajud said as per the FIR.
In the complaint, the resident further said that the accused individual also insulted Lord Ganesh. “You people celebrate the Ganesh festival. Do we say anything then? We feel enraged and puking when we see your Lord Ganesha. We will see how you celebrate your Ganesh festival here,” Vajud threatened the Hindus.
A detailed report in this case can be read here and here.
Conclusion
The incidents from the state don’t stop here. Several such dreadful cases have been reported from the state in the past. But these incidents have shaken the Hindu community to the core leaving them traumatized and scared. These 8 incidents have occurred in the past 15 days posing a greater challenge for the ruling party to make efforts to save the Hindu community.
The communal tensions in the state have been on the rise in the past few years. The Islamists have launched attacks on Hindus in the state on various occasions. The Hindus here were attacked during the Ram Navmi festival in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Mumbai, Malad, and Jalgao where the Islamists pelted stones and torched vehicles last year. They were also attacked during the Muslim festivals like Ramzan and Eid. In March, a Muslim mob in the Kamgar Colony in the Chikalthana area of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar attacked Hindus warning them not to perform Aarti at a Hanuman Mandir during the Ramazan month.
Then on Eid, massive chaos erupted in the Mira Road region of Mumbai after Muslims got goats for slaughter in the residential premises. The Islamists also threatened the Hindus saying that they would slaughter the goats in the society as the latter protested. A detailed report in this case can be read here and here. Apart from these, incidents of rape, molestation, and child abuse at the hands of Islamists are also rising.
With the given current political scenario, the Mahayuti government in the state comprising the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar) need to look into the matter, especially in the cases where the Hindus are being attacked only for belonging to a particular region, like in the case of Akshay Dhavare who compromised his thumb to save his life. The current laws and the administration are evidently failing to protect the Hindu community in the state.
On the other side, Islamists who supported the I.N.D.I Alliance in Maharashtra and issued fatwas against the BJP in the last Lok Sabha elections appear to have lost their fear and are attacking Hindus. They (Islamists) appear to believe that they now have the power to change the state’s leadership by voting out anyone who does not support Hindutva, which could pose a threat to the Mahayuti government ahead of the State Assembly Elections.
