On May 15, Maharashtra Police filed an FIR against one person identified as Sheikh Aftaab Shiekh Mannan for uploading an Islamist propaganda social media story on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The accused person posted a video in which Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was seen bowing down before Aurangzeb. “Aurangzeb Hindustan ka Baap,” the video captioned.
The incident is said to have happened in the Pusad region of the Yavatmal district of Maharashtra on May 14. Team OpIndia accessed the FIR copy of the incident in which the complainant named Gajanan Chavhan said that the accused had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus by deliberately posting an anti-Hindu video on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The video has also been accessed by OpIndia.
“We had organized a procession honouring Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in our city. After the procession, I saw a Facebook story was deliberately uploaded by Aftaab saying that Aurangzeb is the father of Hindustan. He also posted a video showing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj bowing down before Aurangzeb. This has hurt the religious sentiments of us Hindus. This was also an attempt to incite communal violence in the city,” Chavhan added.
He also stated in the complaint that he showed the status to his other Hindu associates named Gajanan Karade, Mahesh Saroshe, Ganesh Bokshe, Prashant Pagir, Mahadev Dakhore and Khandu Shelgavkar who helped him file a police complaint. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is like God to us. And the accused has caused insult to him,” the complainant said.
Counter FIR filed against Hindus an hour after Aftaab was booked
Team OpIndia talked to Mahesh Saroshe, one of the persons who helped Chavhan in filing a police complaint. He said that Gajanan Chavhan has not been seen in the city and that he is not reachable since the complaint has been filed against the accused. OpIndia also contacted Chavhan’s brother regarding the case. He also confirmed that Gajanan had gone into hiding and that his phone was not reachable.
“The tension between Hindus and Muslims here is long-standing. This time they uploaded Islamic status on the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It was definitely a deliberate attempt. This has hurt our religious sentiments. Moreover, the Muslims have filed another complaint against us for allegedly hurting their religious sentiments. And now the police are looking for us instead of arresting Aftaab,” Mahesh said.
Notably, an hour after Aftaab was booked for posting Islamic status and attempting to incite communal violence, a Muslim person named Mohammed Mobin Sheikh Mujammel registered an FIR against Mahesh Saroshe and Ganesh Bokshe for posting a social media story praising Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and allegedly causing insult to Aurangzeb.
The FIR copy obtained by OpIndia stated that Mahesh and Ganesh posted a video saying, “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is father of Aurangzeb.” Mahesh confirmed to OpIndia that he posted the video and said that it was in response to the video posted by Aftaab.
Police detained Aftaab’s two brothers but then happened to release them
He claimed that the police booked him and his friend but took no action against Aftaab. “The Police detained two of his brothers and released them after inquiry. Aftaab is believed to have absconded. But the police are looking for Gajanan Chavhan and also us (Mahesh and Ganesh). We are struggling to file an anticipatory bail in the case so that we are not trapped for raising our voice against pro-Islamist activity,” Mahesh confirmed.
The police have booked Sheikh Aftaab Shiekh Mannan, Mahesh and Ganesh under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
Team OpIndia tried to connect to the SDPO Pusad office and also Khandala Police Station, but the calls remained unanswered. The report will be updated once we hear from the authorities.