The Maharashtra Police carried out raids at offices of fundamentalist Islamic outfit Raza Academy in connection with communal violence that had erupted in Malegaon, Nanded in Maharashtra last week. The police have so far arrested 119 accused who are alleged to be involved in violence.
These 119 arrests and raids were made in Nashik and Nanded district where large-scale violence had taken place last Friday (November 12). Raza Academy had staged a protest against the alleged targeting of Muslims in Tripura. The protest turned violent leading to an attack on police and the destruction of government and private properties.
While the raids have been continuously going on, the major crackdown down was done in the last two days. In Nashik district where Malegaon locality remained the centre of violence, police raided the office of Raza Acamdey at Islampura on Monday midnight and seized various documents. Here, police have arrested 52 Muslims, so far, for their alleged involvement in the riot. Most of them are said to be associated with Raza Academy.
“By Wednesday night (November 17) we had arrested 52 accused. Today afternoon (November 18) we have arrested another three accused. Not all accused are associated with Raza Academy. Some of them are associated with other organizations also. We are identifying and arresting accused persons. We are collecting and examining evidence to identify perpetrators of violence,” Nashik (Rural) SP Sachin Patil told OpIndia over the phone. Nashik Police lodged five FIRs in connection with the violence. All India Sunni Jamiat Ulema was also part of the protest and its members were allegedly involved in the violence.
NCP corporator Ayaz Hulchul has already been arrested on the charge of inciting communal tensions by sharing a fake offensive video clip on social media related to Tripura that had instantly gone viral.
Breaking : Maharashtra: Multiple Raids at Raza Academy offices; 52 Raza Academy Islamists arrested.#MaharashtraRiots
— Arun Pudur (@arunpudur) November 18, 2021
On being contacted Nanded SP Pramodkumar Shewale told OpIndia that 67 accused so far have been arrested. “In Nanded, four FIRs have been registered. There are three accused associated with Raza Academy and they are absconding. But instantly I don’t remember their name. But as far as these arrested accused are concerned they were involved in rioting,” Shewale said.
In Nanded, eight policemen were injured in stone-pelting whereas rioters damaged around a dozen of vehicles by stone-pelting set one scooter on fire. At Malegaon in Nashik, three police personnel and seven civilians were injured in the stone-pelting. The mob also broke glasses of Sahara hospital besides five to six shops and one vehicle.
