Key Points

Speaking with ANI on the Ahilyanagar incident, the Maharashtra Minister called on the Muslim community to go through the life of Prophet Mohammad and find that he "responded to hatred with love"

"I would like to tell the Muslim community that if we study the life of the Prophet Muhammad, we will find that he always responded to hatred with love. If such an incident occurred, Maharashtra has a good government and good administration. We all need to go and report it to the administration. We should not allow such a situation to arise that would tarnish the name of the society, the country, or the nation. Nothing like this should be done. I spoke with the local Superintendent of Police. He told me that they have taken action against those who created the rangoli. They have even arrested them. And whoever they are, regardless of their community, legal action will definitely be taken".

According to a statement by Ahilyanagar Police, 30 people were detained after a protest turned violent, and police had to resort to mild lathi charge.

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 complaint.

Following that, an FIR was registered, and one person was arrested who had created the Rangoli. However, the group was still not convinced, and they started a protest in Kotla under the jurisdiction of Tofkhana Police Station, Ahilyanagar police said.

According to the police, after half an hour, when they attempted to persuade the protesters to end their demonstration, they began pelting stones. In response to that, the police had to resort to a mild lathi charge. The crowd has dispersed, and the area is now peaceful.

An FIR has also been registered, and an investigation into the case is underway.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hinted at a larger conspiracy behind the violence in Ahilyanagar, where police detained 30 people after a protest against an allegedly objectionable Rangoli turned violent.

Speaking to reporters, Devendra Fadnavis condemned the alleged attempt to polarise the public.

"The way some boards are being put up, we will have to see if there is a conspiracy behind this. We also need to see who is trying to spoil the social environment. Is anyone trying to polarise us in the same way that was attempted during the Lok Sabha elections? Everyone has the right to practice their religion, but it is wrong to create tension among people in this way," the Chief Minister said.

- ANI