The rampant damaging of public property, and the pelting of stones by the Hindu mob returning from the Hindu Jangarjna Rally, prompted the registration of seven FIRs including rioting and damage to public property act against the saffron men late on Sunday.
BJP’s suspended MLA T Raja Singh along with Suresh Chavhanke have been booked under section IPC 153 (A) for promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place, etc in an FIR.
Four FIRs have been registered at Kranti Chowk police station, while one each at Osmanpura, Vedantnagar and MIDC Cidco police stations, Times of India reported.
The Aurangabad police said it had denied permission to the event’s organisers ‘Sakal Hindu Ekatrikaran Samiti’, which called the gathering for expressing support for the decision of renaming Aurangabad to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Despite police denying the permission, Raja Singh and Chavhanke delivered hate speeches against Muslims while sharing dais with the state’s two cabinet ministers – employment guarantee scheme and horticulture minister Sandipan Bhumare and cooperative minister Atul Save. Sena MLA Pradeep Jaiswal, BJP MLA Shivendra Raje Bhosale and some Hindu religious leaders were also present on the dais.
The Hindu mob broke the metal plate installed by the civic body at the Jhansi Rani statue and also broke the name on it. Another mob broke a large illuminating board reading ‘I love Aurangabad’ and also posted the photos and videos on social media.
