Local community accuses police of biased action, demands fairness
Team Clarion
MUMBAI – A late-night incident during Shiv Jayanti celebrations has sparked tension in Panvel, with local residents alleging that the police have unfairly targeted members of the minority community while ignoring the actions of outsiders who disrupted the peace.
According to reports, a group of miscreants on motorcycles and in a car allegedly entered a Muslim-majority area and shouted provocative slogans, leading to an altercation. Residents claim that despite attempts to de-escalate the situation, the group returned multiple times, ultimately triggering a confrontation.
Local social activist Mudassar Patel described the sequence of events: “The Shiv Jayanti procession passed peacefully through our neighbourhoods, but later at night, during the Isha prayers, 15 to 20 motorcycles and 20-25 people in a car, reportedly from the Ka Mothe area, started chanting inflammatory slogans at a Muslim checkpoint. The first two times, locals persuaded them to leave, but they returned a third time, and one of them said, ‘It is a big deal that we are allowing you to live in our country.’ This led to an argument, and tensions escalated.”
Residents allege that despite the clear provocation, the police have only registered cases against members of the minority community, sparking widespread anger. “When we asked the police to intervene, they said it was not their job. Now, FIRs have been lodged against 20-25 members of our community, but no action has been taken against the actual troublemakers,” said a local, speaking on condition of anonymity.
In response to the unrest, Assistant Commissioner of Police Ashok Rajput held a meeting with community representatives, urging calm. “We will not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands. Maintaining peace is our top priority. I appeal to everyone not to believe in rumours and to report any troublemakers immediately,” he stated.
However, questions remain over the police’s handling of the incident. A participant in the meeting challenged the police’s stance, saying: “If everyone has the right to go anywhere in a democratic country, do they also have the right to go to another community’s area and provoke them? Why is there never any action against such people?”
Panvel City Police Station in-charge Nitin Thackeray was also present at the discussions, where community leaders urged authorities to reconsider the FIRs. President of Panvel Education Society, Iqbal Qazi, emphasised the town’s history of communal harmony. “Panvel has always been a place of peace, where people of all backgrounds coexist. The minority community will continue to support the police in maintaining order, but we request that the cases against innocent individuals be withdrawn.”
