Maharashtra witnessed 823 incidents of communal unrest so far since January this year including the violence in Nagpur, with demands for the removal of Aurangzeb's tomb and the spreading of distorted facts on social media fomenting fresh trouble, officials said.
Nandurbar, Pune (Rural), Ratnagiri, Sangli, Beed, and Satara districts witnessed communal unrest besides other regions over the right-wing organisations' demand for the demolition of the tomb of the Mughal emperor, located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, in recent days.
A total of 156 criminal cases were registered with various police stations in the state in January in connection with communal unrest, 99 in February, and 78 till mid-March, an official said on Monday, adding that 102 cases were listed as cognisable crimes due to religious reasons.
Maharashtra in 2024 witnessed 4,836 Hindu-Muslim related communal crimes of which 170 incidents were cognisable and 3,106 non-cognisable cases, an official told PTI. Among these cases, 371 incidents were related to religious insults.
Mobs went on a rampage in several areas of central Nagpur on March 17 following a protest held by Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad demanding the removal of Aurganzeb's tomb, which they claimed is a symbol of "pain and slavery".
Notably, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently told the state legislature that Vicky Kaushal-starrer film "Chhaava", based on the life of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, reignited people's emotions against Aurangzeb.
Police have identified rumour-mongering on social media and inflammatory posts as the main factors that instigated people.
Maharashtra Cyber had identified 144 links on Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube where inflammatory content related to the Nagpur riots was posted.
"37 links were deleted and action taken against 107 links by sending notifications," an official said.
Communal tensions left people from the peaceful Konkan region aghast.
The official referred to an incident in Rajapur town of Ratnagiri district where members of a Holi procession allegedly danced in front of Jama Masjid gate and damaged it amid chanting of slogans hailing Lord Shriram, Lord Mahadev, Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj.
A video of the incident had gone viral on various social media platforms.
The official said various posts on social media falsely claimed that the mosque was attacked, triggering communal tension.
Not only in Ratnagiri but the Konkan region takes pride in maintaining Hindu-Muslim harmony and festival traditions for decades, he said.
Common people feel the mosque incident was an aberration considering the strong-rooted Hindu-Muslim harmony in the coastal districts of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, and Raigad.
"People in Konkan believe in peaceful co-existence and love celebrating festivals. Hindu-Muslim strife is unprecedented in the coastal region," the official said.
Highlighting the deep-rooted traditions of Hindu-Muslim unity in Rajapur, he said a palm tree (Maad) used for the Holi bonfire has to be taken to the mosque first, he said.
Residents of Rajapur expressed anguish over the communal disturbances.
Munna Surve, a resident of Rajapur, said Hindus visit the homes of their Muslim friends to celebrate Eid, reciprocated by Muslims who join Lord Ganesh festivities, Holi, and the palkhi (palanquin) procession of the village deity.
"Many Muslims enjoy the right to offer first prayers to Hindu gods in Konkan. In Rajapur, they offer a coconut to a palanquin," he said.
Similar traditions of Hindu-Muslim harmony exist in other districts of Maharashtra where Hindus pay their respect during Urs and Peers and eat community feast.
"We all are peace-loving people. Our ancestors have been living here for centuries. We have nothing to do with politics. We come together to preserve our traditions, started by our forefathers to bolster communal harmony," said Ali Miyan Kazi, a resident of Ratnagiri, a coastal district.
Kazi claimed some politicians hate communal harmony and try to stoke tensions through provocative speeches and communally-charged statements.
He lamented the ban on outsiders doing business in a village in Sindhudurg district where tension erupted after a 15-year-old son of a scrap dealer allegedly raised pro-Pakistan slogans during the Champion Trophy cricket final tie.
"Such exclusions can lead to creating more tension. These should be avoided," he added.
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