“We live in a very scary environment. Each coming day the Muslims in the locality launch severe attacks on Hindus only for belonging to a specific community and caste. Even the administration and the police have failed to protect us to date. Now it is we who will have to protect ourselves,” said Sushma Pawar (name changed for security reasons) who has applied for an Arms Licence under the Arms Act, of 1959. Pawar belongs to the Matang community and is one of the 23 individuals from the Lohiyanagar area, Pune who applied for the Arms license on 8th July.
This comes days after two brutal incidents of attacks on Hindu activists at the hands of Islamists were reported by OpIndia. Hindu activist Akshay Dhavare was abused, assaulted, and attacked with sharp weapons only for being associated with the BJP or the ideology of Hindutva. Later one Rohit Thorat from the same locality was attacked. However, Sushma while exclusively talking to OpIndia stated that the Muslims residing in the Lohiyanagar area of Pune have been launching attacks on Hindus who only belong to the Dalit, Matang community.
Owing to unprofessional @CPPuneCity Amitesh Kumar, IPS' continuous failure to ensure safety n security of #Matang Hindu #Dalit community; 25 Dalit women applied for personal security firearm licences at @collectorpune1!
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) July 8, 2024
5000 more to apply for gun licences!#Jihadis Izalmic goons… pic.twitter.com/kUuLE7hMCW
“We don’t know why this is happening. But the incidents of attack have increased in the past two months. The Muslims in the locality target our community children, and men when they go to their jobs. They keep watch on our men, and families and launch attacks when they see us isolated,” she said.
She also stated that applying for an Arms license has become a need today as the local administration including the police officials has failed to protect the diminishing community in the area. “One of our boys lost his thumb, the other one was attacked on his head. And all this just because they raised their voices against Islamists. For how long are we going to keep suffering? It’s time we protect ourselves legally,” Sushma said.
Along with Sushma, 22 other individuals from Pune’s Lohiyanagar have applied for an Arms license. Notably, most of these are women. The individuals have applied for the license by filling out Form A on the Ministry’s website. OpIndia talked to several applicants who confirmed the incidents of attacks on Hindus at the hands of Islamists and stated the need for immediate protection.
‘Islamists threaten Hindus daily, no police, no leader helped to date’
While talking exclusively to OpIndia, another applicant, Radhika Gawade (name changed for security reasons) revealed that the incident of Islamist attacks have been happening for many years but the frequency increased in the recent past. “Muslims continue to deliberately target us Hindus only because we belong to lower castes. Recently, three big incidents were reported but several others remained unreported. 11 boys from my locality were targeted and hit, again for just belonging to Hindus. The environment here is very scary. We need justice,” Gawade said.
Radhika further added that the Hindu families residing in the area face threats almost daily. “Islamists threaten us and our lives are not at all safe here. Nobody helps us, not the police, nor any political leader,” she alleged. When asked about her decision to acquire arms, she said that we don’t know how to use arms but will learn and protect our families if allowed.
Demographic change: ‘Islamists trying to dominate Lohiyanagar area’
As per Pratik Khawale (name changed), another applicant, the Muslims in the Lohiyanagar area have been trying to suppress the Hindu community for land purposes. “Lohiyanagar area was earlier dominated by the Matang community people. There were Muslim houses, but few. Like if 1000 homes were of Dalits, 30-40 of them belonged to Muslims. However, in the past 10 years, Muslims have been trying to dominate the area. Today of 1000 only 40-60 houses belong to people like us who belong to the Dalit, Matang community,” Khawale said.
If Khawale is to be believed further, each coming day, violence between the two communities happens here. To date around 15 attacks on the Hindu community have been launched here but only four major incidents have been reported. On asking specific reasons for the attack, Khawale said that the Matang community is diminishing here and now the Muslims are completely eyeing to eradicate us so that they get the locality to stay.
“They (Muslims) continue to threaten us, ask us to vacate our homes. Where should we go? Police at times even fail to report our cases. Where shall we go to get justice? Believe it or not, Hindus here are scared and our lives are not safe here,” he reiterated. He said that not even the BJP leaders are helping. “Earlier, many of us used to work for BJP. But now we’ve stopped. We even regret voting for the party in the recently happened LS elections,” he added.
Two brutal attacks on Hindu activists in the past month
Earlier, two brutal incidents of attacks on Hindu activists were reported by OpIndia. 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.
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.
A 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 travelling 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.
Akshay Dhavare revealed the actual reason behind the attacks, here it is
OpIndia on July 8th also talked to Hindu Dalit activist Akshay Dhavare who lost his thumb in an Islamist attack on 23rd June. Revealing the actual reason behind all these attacks, he said that there’s a slum rehabilitation project ongoing in the locality and he had raised his voice against the project given a maximum of the Muslim community members were allotted homes.
“These people used to initially stay on rent but now they have owned properties illegally here. Many people don’t even have legitimate documents to claim properties. They just want us Hindus, who have been living here since here to go away so that they can establish their own locality here,” Dhavare alleged.
He also claimed that many people residing in the locality are Bangladeshi infiltrators and they help each other to settle in localities where Hindus are less in numbers. “There’s one lady here. Both her sons are goons. They have assaulted so many people with sharp weapons, every time they are set free by the administration. Why is this so I still don’t understand. The Muslims are always favoured by the administration which cripples us more,” he added.
Dhavare meanwhile also added that after the brutal attack on him after which he lost his thumb, he was given a police guard but he is allegedly inefficient in protecting him if anything happens. “The primary accused persons who planned the attack on me, Yusuf, and his men have been set free. While others are still being interrogated. We also have information that these persons created the plan to attack me during their Friday prayers. Now we have a tip that these persons have obtained guns and sharp weapons. We have informed the police, but we are awaiting action to date,” he said.
He reiterated that if he wouldn’t have moved aside when attacked, he would have been killed.
Advocate confirms applications, says police will probe before allowing license
Advocate Vikas Jadhav confirmed the incident to OpIndia and said that at present only 23 persons have applied for the license but more people from the Hindu Dalit community are planning to apply for the Arms license. “Now, police will next verify the applications, interrogate the applicants ask them reasons for such applications, and then allow license if they find the reasons legitimate,” Adv Jadhav added.
He also confirmed that the incidents in the area against the Hindus have been on the rise in the past two to three months. He demanded justice for the community and said that the state needs to pay attention to these activities.
It was reported earlier that 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 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. Detailed reports in this case can be read here.
Given the current political climate, the Mahayuti government in the state, which includes the BJP, Shiv Sena (Shinde), and NCP (Ajit Pawar), must investigate the matter, particularly in cases where Hindus are targeted solely for belonging to a specific region, such as Akshay Dhavare, who sacrificed his thumb to save his life. The existing laws and administration appear to be failing to protect the state’s Hindu community, leaving them scared.
On the other hand, Islamists who supported the I.N.D.I Alliance in Maharashtra and issued fatwas against the BJP during the previous Lok Sabha elections appear to have shed their ‘phobia’ and are openly harming Hindus. They (Islamists) tend to believe that they now have the authority to replace the state’s leadership by voting out anyone who opposes Hindutva, which could endanger the Mahayuti government ahead of the State Assembly Elections.
