Police arrest 18 persons over communal violence in Pune; more than 500 booked

Police have arrested a total of 18 persons and registered five FIRs against more than 500 individuals in connection with the communal violence in Yavat village of Pune district that broke out over an alleged objectionable status on a social messaging platform, officials said on Saturday.

The youth who posted the objectionable status on WhatsApp is among the arrested accused along with 17 others held for their alleged involvement in arson and vandalism during the violence at Yavat in Daund tehsil. A local court sent 15 of them in police custody for four days, they said.

Communal tension erupted and incidents of violence took place in Yavat village on Friday afternoon, in which several groups of persons, angered by the social media post, vandalised and set ablaze properties.

"So far, we have registered a total of five cases in connection with the violence. Four of the cases are against more than 500 people who were allegedly involved in arson and damage to property. Of these, more than 100 people have been identified," an official of Yavat police station said.

Seventeen persons have been arrested for their involvement in the violence, and the youth whose status message triggered the violence was similarly held, he said.

Fifteen of the 17 persons were produced before a local court, which remanded them in police custody till August 6.

Those involved in the incident targeted a motorcycle, two cars, one religious structure and a bakery, and indulged in arson. The police had to lob tear gas shells and lathi-charge to disperse the mob, the official said.

The police have issued prohibitory orders in Yavat and the situation is under control, he said.

Talking to reporters, Pune Superintendent of Police (SP) Sandeep Singh Gill said the preliminary probe does not point to any planned conspiracy, and conclusions cannot be drawn until the inquiry is over.

"Till Saturday afternoon, police have registered five FIRs in connection with the incident," he said, adding that the person whose objectionable post triggered the violence has resided in the village for years.

The SP added that after the violence broke out, the police responded quickly and brought the situation under control.

"A large contingent of security personnel, including the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), has been deployed in the village. Authorities also imposed prohibitory orders under the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) section 163 and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) section 144 from Friday night, and they will remain in place till further situation is assessed," Gill Said.

Talking to PTI, Additional SP Ganesh Biradar said the social media platforms were being monitored.

"We are also using drones in villages to keep an eye. Sixteen to 17 persons have been detained so far," he said.

Rahul Kul, BJP MLA from the Daund constituency also visited the violence-hit village on Friday night and held talks with Special Inspector General of Kolhapur Range Sunil Phulari and other senior police officers.

He attributed the unrest to a handful of individuals and strongly denied any political motive behind the clashes.

When asked about the current situation, a villager said, "There is no tension now and the situation is under control. We share brotherly relations with everyone around, but the clashes broke out over some objectionable status."

During his visit to Pune on Friday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said a youth hailing from some other place had uploaded an objectionable post about a Hindu priest being involved in a rape case, which angered residents.

"To disperse the mob, police had to resort to lathi charge. The situation in Yavat is now under control and peace prevails. People from both communities are together and efforts are on to defuse tensions. Some people keep such objectionable posts just to create tension. Strict action will be taken against them. No one has the right to post objectionable content," the CM had said.

Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited the site on Friday and said the youth who allegedly uploaded the objectionable Whatsapp post hails from Nanded and is a daily wage labourer.

He put out an objectionable post related to an incident that took place in Madhya Pradesh, which angered the locals and they resorted to vandalism, he said.

Tension has been simmering in Yavat over the last one week.

On July 26, a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was allegedly desecrated in the village, in which a non-native person was involved. After that, the Yavat gram panchayat passed a resolution to identify outsiders settled in the village and take appropriate action against them.