MIRAJ, India: As looting and arson continued in riot-torn areas of Maharashtra on Sunday, authorities imposed a curfew on several towns of the western Indian state, officials said.
Reacting to four days of Hindu-Muslim rioting in Miraj, Sangli and Kolhapur, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, speaking from his hometown Nanded, said the violence was pre-planned to create division between the communities ahead of the forthcoming legislative polls in the state.
The violence began in Miraj on Wednesday when Muslims protested a structure put up by Hindu militant organizations depicting Maratha warrior Shivaji’s slaying of Mughal general Afzal Khan.
District Collector Shyam Vardane, who announced the decision to impose curfew on Saturday night, said the order would be in force for a period of 33 hours and would be relaxed only after a review of the situation. But on Sunday afternoon, Vardane issued new orders extending the curfew to Sangli district till 2 p.m. Monday.
He said no one would be allowed to step out of their homes during the period without official permission. Those who violate the curfew would be arrested and cases registered against them, he warned.
On Sunday, the city of Miraj wore a deserted look, with a large number of policemen seen patrolling the streets.
As the fallout of the Miraj riots spread to nearby towns Saturday afternoon, police and the district administration took prompt action to control the situation. The state’s Home Minister Jayant Patil who arrived in Miraj late evening held detailed discussions with senior police officials.
Late Saturday evening, violence and arson spread to the town of Sangli and nearby villages. A call for closure of shops by the Hindu militant parties, such as the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), took a violent turn. Mobs indulged in stone pelting and clashed with the police. To control the situation, police resorted to mild cane charge.
Hindus and Muslims fought pitched battles in which seven vehicles and three shops were set on fire. Police then fired four rounds of teargas shells to disperse the mobs. Ten people were injured in the police charge. Heavy stone pelting incidents were also reported from villages outside Sangli.
Former Sena legislator Nitin Shinde, his wife and 90 other Hindus were arrested for violating prohibitory orders. In another locality a Hindu mob forced entry into a Muslim house and assaulted people, terrorizing the entire area. Hindu mobs also indulged in stone pelting and arson in Tasgaon, Ashta and took out a protest rally in Kedgaon area. The town of Islampur observed a complete shutdown.
In Gawli, a mob of 500 Muslims allegedly indulged in heavy stone-pelting after reports that a Hindu mob threw a dead pig into a mosque in the area. They torched four cars, two rickshaws and four motorbikes. Police reached the spot and, after investigations, took the dead pig into custody. However, tension prevailed in the area with both communities engaging in heavy stone-pelting late into the night. Authorities called in additional force and brought the situation under control.
Clashes were reported from several areas in Miraj and Sangli. The police and fire brigade personnel were having a tough time controlling the situation and extinguishing fires. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Shiv Pratap Singh Yadav has been camping in Miraj to oversee the situation.
The Miraj violence had its repercussions in Kolhapur, the hometown of Home Minister Patil. The Sena and BJP had called for a shutdown in the city on Sunday. Police arrested Sena legislators Madhu Chavan and Prakash Shendge who arrived at Kolhapur airport Sunday morning on their way to Miraj and Sangli saying their presence there would aggravate the situation further.
Police also arrested 200 Sena and BJP workers on Sunday when they protested at the removal of the controversial structure in Miraj. There were incidents of stone pelting and violent protests in several locations in the city.
