By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Mumbai : The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has drawn the personal attention of Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh towards the violence that engulfed Khamgaon in district Buldhana on September 25 and the situation prevailing there in its aftermath.
Submitting a representation addressed to the Chief Minister here Wednesday, IUML president G.M. Banatwala said, "The entire violence was clearly pre-planned. The organisers of the Ganpati procession took the route not allowed by the police. It is nfortunate that deliberate and considerable mischief was created in front of the masjid at the time of Iftar and prayers. There was an arrangement for one-sided video shooting against Muslims by some elements. For, there was no video shooting of the violence wrecked on Muslim areas. And there is a large scale one sided arrests of Muslims. Those arrested have been booked under Section 307 IPC (Indian Penal Code) and are under detention. Such an unjust situation is an encouragement to the real anti-minority culprits at large and is not in the interest of the State."
Painting a picture of the hardships the Muslims of Khamgaon have been facing in this holy month of Ramadan, the IUML chief said, "It is shocking that even during the current month of Ramadan, mosques
remained closed for almost five days and prayers including the special Taraweeh Prayers could not be offered because of the continuous curfew. This was in
addition to the untold hardships consequent to the said continuous curfew."
The Muslim League leader demanded the release of the arrested to enable them to observe their Eid festival, review of the arrests by an independent authority and withdrawal of the charges against the innocent and the victims of the circumstances. He also demanded stern
action against those responsible for taking out procession through unauthorised route as well as against those who conspired and those who perpetrated violence against the minority community.