By Abdul Hameed, TwoCircles.net
Mumbai: Anjuman Market of Balapur city in Akola district witnessed a clash between the locals and police on Saturday noon in which at least eight persons were injured. The police resorted to lathi-charge and tear gas to disperse the mob. Now, the situation has become normal.
‘The clash started when police started beating four gamblers of a particular community in public at market chowk. They were nabbed by the police on a tipoff,’ told Mufti Ashfaque, the vice president of United Democratic Front Maharashtra while taking to TCN. He alleged that rather than taking them to the police station they were beaten in public showing their bias towards the community.
‘If they were culprits punish them at police station. What does it mean to beat them before public,’ he exclaimed.
Muhammad Haneef Abdul Munaf, the district president of NCP who was present at the spot intervened and asked the police not to do so. ‘Inspector Gaikwad showed him revolver and threatened to kill,’ media reports say.
Reacting to the incident Mufti Ashfaque said that it was nothing but prejudice with Muslims.
The furious mob of locals later surrounded the police station and demanded the culprit police officers be punished.
The subsequently called peace meeting bore no fruits as the additional district SP of Balapur Station Nitin Lohare blamed the locals to be with the gamblers when his attention was drawn to the police atrocities.
The police, however, have refuted the charge.
ASI Patkar, the assistant Hawaldar of the Balapur police station told TCN on telephone, ‘The police were taking some gamblers to the station after arresting them when a local was pushed and then people started pelting stones at the police in which 15 policemen were injured.’ He said the police so far have arrested 28 persons.
The population of Balapur city is nearly 50 thousand with Muslims constituting 60% of it.