MVA, BJP blame each other for fanning violence in state

Young men with their faces covered on a street as the bandh in Amravati took a violent turn on Saturday. Pic/PTI

Politics over communal tension in Amravati and other towns in the state has intensified with the Opposition and ruling parties blaming each other for fanning Friday's communal violence over alleged atrocities against the minorities in Tripura, and a counter agitation that followed on Saturday. The MVA leaders blamed the riots on the BJP, while the Opposition party said the ministers were instigating the people to protest against an incident that never happened in Tripura.

In Amravati, where stone pelting and violence took place during the Muslim community's protest on Friday, a call for the bandh was given by the saffron organisations on Saturday. The shutdown turned violent, prompting the police to use force. A curfew has been imposed in the city. The incident was spurred by Raza Academy's call to protest against the Tripura riots. The protests were held in Nanded, Bhiwandi, Malegaon, Nanded, Pusad and some other towns as well. Nanded and Malegaon witnessed some violence on Friday, but were relatively peaceful on Saturday.

Sanjay Raut

In Amravati, however, the situation escalated. On Friday, over 8,000 people had gathered outside the district collector's office to submit a memorandum demanding that atrocities against the minority community be stopped. Stones were pelted and shops were shut down forcefully during the agitation. The following day, hundreds of people, many of them holding saffron flags in their hands and raising slogans, came out on the streets in Amaravati's Rajkamal Chowk in the morning. Some members of the mob even hurled stones at the shops, damaging them, a police official said. He said the police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the protesters on Saturday. Additional police force has been sent from various places in Amravati, he said.

Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil said the situation was under control and the rioters would be brought to book. He appealed to the people to avoid circulating malicious content on social media, which could be responsible for the rumours. Raza Academy dismissed allegations that it was behind the violence because it had called for a peaceful shutdown. Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said Raza Academy was a BJP puppet and accused the Opposition of triggering violence.

Meanwhile, Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis accused the MVA ministers of instigating communal violence and held the government responsible for the episode. "Maharashtra has reacted to incidents that haven't taken place in Tripura. If the ministers are making instigating speeches, then the government is solely responsible for the riots. I appeal to the people for peace," he said. He further said that the Tripura Government and its police have clarified with evidence that no masjid was burnt down. "The incident in Amravati is a well-hatched conspiracy."

With inputs from Agencies