Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi slammed the Maharashtra government on Monday for what he called a brutal lathi charge against Muslims protesting an alleged insult to their faith in Ahilyanagar. He accused authorities of stirring up communal discord and ignoring the rule of law.
“You can insult Muslims all you want,” Azmi said. “But if a Muslim protests, he gets beaten with lathis. There’s no law left anymore. I’ve told Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis repeatedly: If someone insults any religion, make a strict law to punish them.” Azmi pushed for quick action, adding, “The CM should handle the investigation later. First, pass a law that jails anyone who targets any religion for 10 years.”
The trouble started during Navratri celebrations when someone created a Rangoli with offensive elements aimed at a religious community. Locals spotted it, rushed to the police station, and filed a complaint. Police registered an FIR and arrested the person responsible. But the group wasn’t satisfied and launched a protest near Kotla under Tofkhana Police Station in Ahilyanagar.
Things heated up fast, according to Ahilyanagar Police. About 30 people got detained after the crowd turned violent and started throwing stones at officers trying to calm them down. Police then used a mild lathi charge to break it up. The area is now calm, another FIR is in place, and investigators are digging deeper into the Ahilyanagar violence.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis weighed in, suggesting a bigger plot might be at play. He condemned efforts to divide people along religious lines, telling reporters, “We’re looking into these provocative boards and who’s behind spoiling our social harmony. Is this like the polarization tries during the Lok Sabha elections? Everyone can follow their religion, but no one should create tension like this.”
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