The police imposed curfew in the riot-hit town of Amravati in eastern Maharashtra on Saturday morning, after an irate mob of people went on a rampage vandalising several shops and private properties.
After fresh incidents of violence broke in the morning at Amravati which had witnessed violence on Friday after members of local minority community took out a morcha in protest against the violence in Tripura against minority community, the State police rushed four companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and an additional posse of police personnel to control the rioting mobs.
Following Saturday’s violence, Amravati’s in-charge Police Commissioner Sandip Patil imposed prohibitory orders in the town under CrPC Sec. 144 (1), (2), (3) to ensure against any untoward incidents.
Earlier at around 10 am, angry groups of people were seen vandalising several shops and private properties in the presence of local personnel. The police personnel resorted top lathi-charge to quell the rioters.
Saturday was the second consecutive day when there was a violent backlash in Maharashtra against the spiral of violence that has broken out against the minority community members in Tripura. On Friday, violence had broken out in Amravati, Nanded and Malegaon where the minority community members had resorted impromptu protests against the reported violence in Tripura.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil – in an appeal made to the people through a video message after the violence reported from Nanded, Amravati and Malegaon on Friday evening—urged the people from all communities to maintain peace and restraint.
“Please maintain calm… I appeal to all Hindus and Muslims brethren to maintain peace,” Walse-Patil said in his appeal.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut slammed the Opposition BJP for allegedly inciting violence in Amravati and other places
The BJP had called for a bandh to protest against the violence that broke out in Malegaon, Amravati and Nanded on Friday during the state-wide demonstrations and rallies by Raza Academy and other Muslim organisations.
“There was no reason for calling a bandh. I have a reason to believe that those who organised the bandh were also behind the violence as well. This is because the BJP indulges religious divide and incites violence. This was what happened at Amravati
The Raza Academy that had called for protest does not have strength to indulge in violence. Raza Academy is said to be a sister organisation of BJP,” Raut said.
Raut charged that the BJP was desperately trying to create law and order problems and destabilise the Maharashtra. They earlier used central agencies like ED, CBI, income tax and NCB against the MVA leaders, but they did succeed. Now they are organising riots to destabilise our
government. But, they will not succeed,” he said.
On his part, Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP said thatr the rallies organised by the minority community appeared to be a “well-orchesterated”to foment communal clashes. He appealed to people from both the counities to maintain peace.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Ministers Abdul Sattar, Ashok Chavan and Yasomati Thak (Congress), Nawab Malik (NCP), AIMIM MP Syed Imtiaz Jaleel, and others came down heavily on the BJP for indulging in “communal politics” and fomenting violence in places like Amravati, Nanded and Malegaon.