Violence in Kolhapur: Maha Minister Meets with Community Organizations and Civil Society Groups
In response to the tense situation there following stone-throwing during a protest against the alleged use of Tipu Sultan’s image along with an objectionable audio message as social media “status” by some locals, Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar has met with a number of social organizations in Kolhapur.
Kesarkar, the guardian minister for the Kolhapur district and the Minister for School Education and Marathi Language, has pleaded with the locals to keep the calm.
Members of other civil society organizations also attended the meeting that Kesarkar presided over on Wednesday. We swore at the conference that we would abide by the example set by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj. The conference produced a great image that would provide direction for the whole state, Kesarkar told reporters.
When asked whether the riots at Kolhapur’s Shivaji Chowk were pre-planned since so many stones were thrown at once, he said that the subject would be looked into and those responsible would be found.
On Tuesday, two men are accused of posting an unpleasant audio message and a photograph of the 18th-century Mysore monarch Tipu Sultan as their social media “status” in Kolhapur. After hundreds of demonstrators threw stones during a rally against the purported usage of Tipu Sultan’s picture in Kolhapur on Wednesday, police dispersed them with lathis. According to a senior police officer, internet access in Kolhapur has been halted till Thursday due to the protest.
According to him, police have requested more officers from Satara while State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) men have been stationed in the city in western Maharashtra. Prohibitory orders prohibiting gatherings of five or more people have also been issued till June 19, he said.
