Maharashtra: CM Fadnavis hints conspiracy amid violence over objectionable rangoli in Ahilyanagar

Yavatmal (Maharashtra) [India], September 29 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hinted at a larger conspiracy behind the violence in Ahilyanagar, where police detained 30 people after a protest against an allegedly objectionable Rangoli turned violent.

Speaking to reporters, Devendra Fadnavis condemned the alleged attempt to polarise the public.

“The way some boards are being put up, we will have to see if there is a conspiracy behind this. We also need to see who is trying to spoil the social environment. Is anyone trying to polarise us in the same way that was attempted during the Lok Sabha elections? Everyone has the right to practice their religion, but it is wrong to create tension among people in this way,” the Chief Minister said.

According to a statement by Ahilyanagar Police, 30 people were detained after a protest turned violent, and police had to resort to mild lathi charge.

The incident began today around 7 AM. During Navratri celebrations, someone had made a Rangoli with some objectionable elements against a religious community. After noticing the objectionable content of the Rangoli, people of the community reached the police station and lodged their complaint.

Following that, an FIR was registered, and one person was arrested who had made that Rangoli, but the group was still not convinced, and they started a protest in Kotla under the jurisdiction of Tofkhana Police Station, Ahilyanagar police said.

As per the police, after half an hour, when the police tried to convince them to end their protest, they started pelting stones. In response to that, the police had to resort to a mild lathi charge. The crowd was dispersed, and the area is peaceful now.

An FIR has also been registered, and an investigation into the case is underway.

This comes after a similar incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly, where protests by a group of people who gathered outside Ala Hazrat Dargah and IMC chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan’s house turned violent. (ANI)