Nashik, 19 Apr (HS): Nashik police have registered an offence against 1,500 people in connection with stone pelting on police and

municipal corporation staff during demolition of an unauthorised dargah in

Kathe Lane of Nashik. Police also found a connection between the fanatics involved in

the violence, with the Maha-Vikas Aghadi.

The suspects include Hanif Bashir of Congress,

Nilofar Sheikh of UBT Faction, Arif Haji Patel Sheikh of Sharad Pawar faction.

Police detained Mukhtar Sheikh of MIM on April 17.

As many as 31 police personnel were injured in the

stone pelting on April 16, when the Nashik Municipal Corporation Anti-Encroachment

Squad was demolishing an unauthorised Satpeer dargah in Kathe Lane. The

trustees and others were present for their religious rituals. They, however,

started pelting stones on the civil personnel and police. Police had to resort

to a cane charge and bursting tear gas shells to disperse the violent mob.

The Dargah Trust has moved the Supreme Court and

obtained a temporary stay on the demolition. A Trustee, Fahim Sheikh, claimed that the claim of Dargah being unauthorised is

false, and the action is aimed towards creating a rift between two religious

groups. Condemning the stone pelting incident, Sheikh also claimed that those

pelting stones were outsiders. Police, however, have refuted Sheikh’s claims.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar