Beed mosque blast Mahayuti’s bid to cause unrest in Maharashtra: Congress

Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on 31 March, Monday, alleged that a blast at a religious structure in Beed could be evidence of the ruling Mahayuti alliance's "motive" to foment communal unrest in the state.

He alleged that the British-era policy of 'divide and rule' is being adopted and politics of communalism is being spread in progressive Maharashtra.

"Unity in diversity is the hallmark of India and its people. Maharashtra dharma is innately progressive, but it is facing the crisis of communalism," Sapkal told reporters in Buldhana.

Alleging the British-era policy of divide and rule is being adopted in the state, the Congress leader said, "I hope better sense prevails. The ruling alliance wants to keep Maharashtra turbulent and the Beed mosque blast could be part of that motive."

A blast occurred at a mosque in Ardha Masla village in Georai tehsil on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr, allegedly after an altercation between two groups during a procession, leading to the arrest of two men.

Sapkal said that law and order is on the decline in Maharashtra and criminals are roaming freely. "In several cases, criminals are 'not found'. The law-and-order situation is worrisome,'' he charged.

According to police, Maharashtra has witnessed 823 incidents of communal unrest since January this year, including the violence in Nagpur, with demands for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb and the spreading of distorted facts on social media fomenting fresh trouble.

Nandurbar, Pune (Rural), Ratnagiri, Sangli, Beed and Satara districts have witnessed communal unrest, besides other regions over the right-wing organisations’ demand the demolition of the tomb of the Mughal emperor, located in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, in recent days, the police said.

Mobs went on a rampage in several areas of central Nagpur on 17 March following a protest held by Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad demanding the removal of Aurganzeb’s tomb, which they claimed is a symbol of “pain and slavery”.