Maharashtra News: FIR Filed Against Villager For Posts Accusing Muslims Of Temple Desecration In Solapur

After the Maharashtra State Minorities Commission directed the Solapur district police superintendent to register a FIR against a resident of Manegaon village for accusing Muslims of desecrating the village temple, the local police station filed a case under sections 299 and 302 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for outraging religious sentiments.

The Complaint And Timeline of the events

According to the complainant, Shahajan Korbu, a local teacher, Sushil Parde had organised a programme on the evening of September 5 at the village's Vitthal temple. The function was attended by teachers and other residents in the village, including Muslims.

It is alleged that when the programme ended at 10pm, a resident of the village, Parmeshwar Raut, confronted Korbu's cousin, Shaukat Sheikh, and Parde, and said that Muslim teachers and community members who attended the programme had desecrated the temple as they had consumed beef. Raut is alleged to have questioned the invitation extended to Muslims and later announced on social media that he stood by his views.

The police complaint alleged that the social media posts circulated from Raut's accounts hurt the religious sentiments of Muslims. Following the incident, the Muslim community of Manegaon in Madha taluka filed a complaint with Maharashtra State Minority Commission chairman, Pyare Khan, and member Wasim Burhan, asking that an FIR should be filed against Raut.

Next Steps

There are around 300 to 400 Muslims, mostly farmers, living in the village and there are allegations that they constantly faced abusive language from the accused who accused them of eating meat. On September 12, 2024, a delegation consisting of Burhan and the complainants met with Solapur district police superintendent, Atul Kulkarni, to discuss the matter. Kulkarni instructed the Madha police station to register an FIR against the accused. The FIR was filed on September 13.

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