Internet services were shut down and a four-day curfew was imposed in Maharashtra's Amravati city which witnessed violence during a bandh organised by local BJP workers in protest against rallies organised by Muslim organisations to condemn the recent violence in Tripura, police said. Internet services in the city will remain suspended for three days so as to prevent the spread of rumours which can fuel violence, said city Commissioner of Police Arti Singh.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Saturday accused the BJP of conspiring to provoke riots ahead of next year's assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Speaking to reporters, Patole said, "Attempts are being made to instigate riots in Maharashtra. The saffron party wanted to divert people's attention from issues such as unemployment, price rise, weak economy, China's incursions and farmers' problems."
In a veiled attack on opposition BJP, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday said the violence in Maharashtra's Amravati and other places is aimed at destabilising the MVA government. "The violence that is taking place in Maharashtra is aimed at destabilising the MVA government. Raising the bogey of violence, they [opposition] will meet the state governor and write letters to the Union home ministry claiming that the [law and order] situation in Maharashtra is deteriorating. This will happen in future too. But the state government is firm in the saddle," Raut said. "The BJP wants to polarise society ahead of Uttar Pradesh elections. People should not fall prey to such tactics. The MVA government [Shiv Sena, Congress, NCP] in Maharashtra is stable despite the BJP's efforts to destablise it," he added.
On Friday, over eight thousand people had gathered outside the Amravati district collector's office to submit a memorandum demanding that atrocities against the minority community be stopped. When people were leaving after submitting the memorandum, stone-pelting took place at three places between Chitra Chowk and Cotton Market under the limits of the Kotwali police station. Kotwali Police has so far registered 11 FIRs under various charges including rioting. Ten persons were arrested.
The Union home ministry on Saturday said news circulating on social media about damage and vandalisation of a mosque in Tripura is fake and complete misrepresentation of facts. It also said that there is no report of simple or grievous injury or rape or death of any person in any such incidents in Tripura as alleged in some social media posts. In a strongly worded statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said there is no reported case of damage of the structure of any mosque in Tripura in the recent past and that people should maintain calm and should not be misguided by such fake reports. "There have been news reports that have been circulating that a mosque in Kakraban area of Gomati district in Tripura has been damaged and vandalised. These news reports are fake and are a complete misrepresentation of facts," it said.
-Inputs from agencies
