The Congress-led government in Maharashtra on Sunday said yesterday’s violence by a mob of youths at Azad Maidan was an attack on the administration and the law and order machinery.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who met senior officials and journalists, announced the crime branch of the city police would examine the alleged involvement of external forces and anti-social elements in the violence, in which 45 police personnel and some journalists were injured. He said the government would take strong action against those involved.
So far the police have arrested 23 persons, who have been remanded to custody till August 19 by a court. Himanshu Roy, the joint commissioner (crime), said investigations had begun into the violence after a rally organised by Raza Academy to protest against anti-Muslim riots in Assam and Myanmar. “CCTV footages have been gathered. It was a pre-planned incident,” Roy told a group of reporters.
The CM condemned the attack and visited the injured in hospital last night.
Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde also condemned the attack and warned of strong action against rumour mongers. He appealed to people to maintain peace.
In a related development, Raza Academy, which describes itself as an organisation working for the renewal of Islam, offered an unconditional apology to the police, the media and citizens for the violence, saying it sought forgiveness. “The people who indulged in violence cannot be Muslims. No Muslim would dare to do anything like this during a Ramzan fast. Some mischief mongers have taken advantage of the situation,” said Academy president Mohammed Saeed Noori.
He said Raza Academy and others — the All India Sunni Jamaitul Ulema, All India Sunni Ayema-e-Masajid, Jamaat-E- Razae Mustafa and 20 Sunni groups — “felt deeply ashamed” over the violence.
A Bharatiya Janata Party delegation on Sunday met Chavan and demanded suspension of the city police commissioner, Arup Patnaik. The delegation, led by the head of the opposition in the state legislative council, Vinod Tawade, also demanded the resignation of state home minister R R Patil for his handling of law and order.