Maharashtra CM Fadnavis hints at conspiracy behind Ahilyanagar violence

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday suggested that a larger conspiracy may be behind the recent violence in Ahilyanagar where 30 people were detained following a protest that escalated over an allegedly objectionable Rangoli designSpeaking to reporters CM Fadnavis condemned the incident and expressed concern over efforts to create social unrestAccording to the news agency ANI he said The way certain boards are being put up we need to examine whether theres a conspiracy at play We must also identify who is attempting to disturb the social environmentIs this an effort to polarise society similar to what was attempted during the Lok Sabha elections Everyone has the right to follow their religion but provoking tensions among people in this manner is unacceptable he addedAccording to a statement issued by Ahilyanagar Police 30 individuals were detained after the protest turned violent Authorities said they had to use a mild lathi charge to control the situationAs per ANI the incident began today around 7 AM During Navratri celebrations someone had made a Rangoli with some objectionable elements against a religious community After noticing the objectionable content of the Rangoli people of the community reached the police station and lodged their complaintFollowing that an FIR was registered and one person was arrested who had made that Rangoli but the group was still not convinced and they started a protest in Kotla under the jurisdiction of Tofkhana Police Station Ahilyanagar police saidAs per the police after half an hour when the police tried to convince them to end their protest they started pelting stones In response to that the police had to resort to a mild lathi charge The crowd was dispersed and the area is peaceful nowAn FIR has also been registered and an investigation into the case is underwayBareilly violence Cleric Tauqeer Khans aide detained for mobilising crowd misleading copsIn another similar incident police on Monday detained a close associate of the cleric and IttehadeMillat Council IMC chief Tauqeer Raza Khan in connection with the recent violence in Bareilly during a protest in support of the I Love Muhammad campaign officials saidConfirming the detention of Nadeem Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya told PTI that the incident was not spontaneous but premeditatedAccording to senior officials investigations revealed that Nadeem allegedly orchestrated the protest He contacted 55 individuals via WhatsApp who then mobilised a crowd of around 1600 peopleldquoThey conspired to launch an agitation similar to the antiCAA and NRC protests placing minors at the forefront of the demonstrationrdquo said an officialNadeem and his associates were allegedly active at key locations including the Khalil School intersection and the Shyamganj area where they incited the crowd the official addedPolice also claimed that Nadeem initially misled authorities about the demonstration called by Tauqeer Raza Khan after Friday prayersOn Thursday night he allegedly visited the police station with associates Nafees and Liaqat assuring officers that no demonstration would take place on Friday and that IMC supporters would be instructed to offer prayers peacefully at 5 am in mosquesWith inputs from Agencies