The attackers were armed with sticks and other sharp weapons. Prohibitory orders have been issued till July 29.
Waquar Hasan | Clarion India
KOLHAPUR – Some members of an unruly mob climbed atop a mosque, planted a saffron flag and vandalised it in Maharashtra’s Kolhapur district on Sunday.
The mob was part of a rally called by former Rajya Sabha MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati in protest against alleged illegal encroachment at the Vishalgad Fort. Chhatrapati’s supporters attacked the mosque and members of the Muslim community in Gajapur village, a few kilometers away from Vishalgad.
Speaking to Clarion India, Imran Sanadi, a local All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader who visited the affected area, said that around 40 Muslims got injured in the attacks and even children were not spared by the mob.
“The situation was very bad there. Now, it has become better. Houses were demolished and they were harmed greatly. No one died but there are many injured. They were attacked with swords and sticks. Even, some policemen were attacked with swords,” he said.
“A mosque was vandalised and torched. Houses were set on fire with some gas,” he said.
According to him, all those who were attacked and got injured are Muslims. “Muslims were targeted. They were brutally beaten up. Even a six-year-old child were assaulted,” said Imran.
A few videos of the incident have gone viral showing a group of people climbing the mosque walls, planting a saffron flag and hammering a minaret with an axe. Another video shows the mob destroying everything inside the mosque while chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. Some parts of the mosque were damaged while books and other articles kept inside the mosque were torn and scattered. Outside the mosque, a vandalised vehicle lay upside down. The attackers were armed with sticks and other sharp weapons with which they were destroying everything.
A delegation of AIMIM was scheduled to meet senior officials to demand action against all those involved in the attack.
Irfan, local Muslim leader, said members of the Muslim community gathered in Kolhapur city to protest against the incident demanding action against the culprits. AIMIM, Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind and others were part of the protest being held on Monday.
“They took out rally against alleged encroachment at the Vishalgad fort. But they targeted people and a mosque in Gajapur, which is on the way to Vishalgad but 6 km away from the fort,” he said.
The Vishalgad fort has been in the news after Hindutva organisations staged protests at the foothills demanding the removal of alleged encroachments and a ban on animal slaughter. Meanwhile, prohibitory orders have been issued under Section 37(A) A to F and Section 37(3) of the Maharashtra Police Act 1951 from July 15 to July 29.
“We had deployed adequate police force to avoid any untoward incidents. We have learnt few things have happened. We will register cases after taking cognizance accordingly,” Kolhapur’s Superintendent of Police Mahendra Pandit was quoted by the Times of India as saying.
