Syed Ali Mujtaba
A Hindu religious leader allegedly made derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad in Nashik, at Shah Panchale village in Sinnar taluk during a seven day-long religious event that concluded on August 17.
The Hindu religious leader, Mr. Maharaj, head of the Maharashtra-based Sadguru Gangagiri Maharaj Sansthan, was heard mouthing derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad and Islam in a video clip of the event that went viral on the internet.
Earlier, defending himself Mr. Maharaj told the media that the matter was being sensationalized and one-and-a-half-hour event was trimmed for few seconds and was made viral.
“I raised my concern over the atrocities Hindus are facing in Bangladesh. I only said that if we are not careful, similar incidents can occur in India as well. I said so referring to Bangladesh and their culture of marriage as practiced in Islam. My only motive was that Hindus should unite,” he said.
Protests erupted in various parts of the country, especially in Maharashtra,. The biggest among them took place in Chhatarpur Madhya Pradesh where District Administration demolished the houses of the protestors who demanded action against the Hindu hate monger.
The protesters turned violent and attacked the police station injuring four police personnel. In retaliation the police detained over 50 suspects and arrested 20 of them. A FIR was registered against them under many serious charges.
Superintendent of Police (SP), City, Aman Mishra, said that the accused whose house was brought down with a bulldozer was identified as Haji Shehzad Ali, a local Muslim leader, who had led the protests and instigated the mob violence. Apart from Mr. Ali’s bungalow, his brother and a local councilor Azad Ali’s as well as some other accuser’s properties were also demolished,” he said.
District Collector, Chhatarpur, Parth Jaiswal said the bulldozer was sent as a part of anti-encroachment drive. A notice was already served for the illegal construction and Mr. Ali house was built without permission.
Al Jazeera, has independently verified that only two Hindus were killed since Hasina’s ouster on August 5, 2024, one Hindu police officer and one Hindu activist of Hasina’s Awami League party.