Police have invoked charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) against two men arrested for their alleged involvement in a blast at a mosque in Ardhmasla village in Beed district in the early hours of March 30.
The charges under the anti-terrorism law were added after directions from Maharashtra State Minorities Commission member Wasim Burhan who had visited Ardhmasla district on Thursday as part of the commission's inquiry into the blast at the village's Jama Masjid.
Burhan said that as part of his visit to the village, he spoke to Navneet Kanwat, Superintendent of Police, Beed, and Avinash Pathak, Beed District Collector, about the incident. The Maharashtra State Minorities Commission has civil court powers.
The explosion in the village in Georai tehsil, just days before Ramzan Eid celebrations were set to begin, damaged a section of the shrine. The police station has registered a First Information Report against the accused, Vijay Gavhane and Shriram Sagde, under sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita, 2023, and the Explosive Substances Act, 1908. The charges relate to damaging a place of worship, outraging religious feelings, and making and possessing explosive substances.
However, there were demands from the Muslim community that the accused should be charged under UAPA because the incident was an act of terrorism.
