– Radiance News Service
Communal violence once again flared up in Maharashtra. After Akola, Shevgaon, and Kolhapur, it was the village of Pusesavali in Khatav Taluka, Satara district that experienced communal violence.
In what is now becoming a familiar pattern in the state of Maharashtra, objectionable social media posts are circulated, mob violence is incited and places of worship are targeted with the minority community facing the brunt of the violence.
According to the local media, a police complaint was made after an objectional social media was posted. However, suddenly on the night of 10 September, a huge crowd gathered around 9:30 pm and went to a place of worship and began vandalizing it and beating people inside. One person succumbed to the violence, another is serious and around 20 more are badly injured. The crowd also targeted nearby houses and shops belonging to a particular community.
According to the Superintendent of Police, Sameer Shaikh, “Satara police immediately responded and brought the situation under control. At present, no law and order problem exists in Pusesavali and its area. There is peace. Police have also been deployed to the required extent.”
Commenting on the violence in Satara, Maulana Ilyas Khan Falahi, President Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra, said, “We condemn the violence in Pusesavali. It is a very serious issue that in a peaceful and progressive state like Maharashtra, such an incident is happening. There are some anti-social elements and vested interests that are trying to divide and polarize society along religious lines.
“I appeal to all not to fall prey to their agenda. We must be peaceful not be provoked and maintain communal harmony. We demand a high-level inquiry into the incident.
“A fact-finding committee from civil society must be sent to the village to ascertain the facts. Although an FIR is registered, we observe that victims do not get justice. The perpetrators of the violence are not convicted as the chargesheet is against ‘unknown persons’. Everyone pleads helplessness and as the crime goes unpunished the cycle of violence continues.
“Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, Maharashtra demands that the relatives of the victim who lost his life be given adequate compensation and also whose houses and shops were burnt. The place of worship which was vandalized should be restored and the guilty must be caught and awarded strict punishment.”
Meanwhile, prohibitory orders are in place and the internet has been shut down till 13 September in the district. Talking to a regional TV channel, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) has indicated that “Riots will be engineered all over India before the upcoming elections and the process has started in Maharashtra.”
