On Sunday (28th January), during an annual gathering program at Homoeopathic Medical College Akola in Maharashtra, some Muslim students demanded an apology from other students for performing the scene depicting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj killing Islamist tyrant Afzal Khan. Some students performed the traditional Marathi song-dance performance called Powada during the annual cultural program of the institute. However, Muslim students in the college claimed that this performance hurt their religious sentiments and demanded an apology. The local Hindu organisations have demanded the college take action against these Muslim students.
The annual gathering was organised at the homoeopathy college in the city on 28th January. In this program, the students of the college performed the “powada” of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In this “powada”, they presented the scene of the killing of Afzal Khan.
Manish Khade, a student of the school, said, “There was a cultural programme going on in our college. On this occasion, we were presenting a Powada of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We presented his history in that powada. However, students from some communities who were present there left during this performance. Then they came back and made us apologise for hurting their sentiments due to this performance. They asked the students who performed the powada to come on stage and apologise to them.”
According to reports, the Muslim students in the college made the performers apologise from the stage in this way.
As soon as the incident came to light, Hindutva organisations reached the college. They asked the college administration to take action against those involved in the matter. Mayur Mishra of ‘Sanatani Sanghatana’ said, “What happened is condemnable. Sadly, such an incident has taken place in the holy land of Maharashtra. Therefore, the college administration should take action against those involved in this incident.”
District president of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Pankaj Sable said, “Maharashtra is known today because of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Today, the insult of Chhatrapati took place in the very same land. The students who did such things should be expelled from the college at the earliest. If such a thing happens after this, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena will respond in its style. Students should not panic at all. MNS is always with them.”
