Bandh Called in Pune’s Mulshi After Local Deity Desecration
Police Bolster Presence with Additional Forces to Uphold Law and Order Post-Incident
Mulshi Tehsil Shuts Down Following Temple Desecration by Minor, Outrage and Protests Erupt
MULSHI, India – Mulshi tehsil shut down entirely on following a case of temple desecration by a minor that caused widespread outrage and resulted in massive protests.
The incident arose when a Muslim minor, allegedly 16, is said to have entered Paud’s Nageshwar temple and proceeded to make indecent gestures prior to desecrating an idol of Goddess Annapurna. The alleged act, according to CCTV video, soon spread like wildfire and provoked a lot of reactions among the local people.
In reaction, more than 2,000 residents, united under the aegis of ‘Sakal Hindu Samaj,’ held a protest procession deploring the act and calling for severe action against the offender. The protesters greeted guardian minister Chandrakant Patil and presented a memorandum of their demands for severe legal action.
Minister Patil decried the act as “shameful and inhuman.” He confirmed that the accused minor has been taken into custody and charged under the appropriate sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Patil further added that the authorities are looking for solutions to curb massive gatherings for Friday prayers, since only a limited number of Muslims are local residents.
Local resident Somnath Patil was shocked and outraged by the viral video. He claimed the bandh was peaceful and highlighted the solidarity of residents against such “anti-social behavior.” The CCTV footage is clear that the juvenile entered the temple and performed the gestures and desecration, apparently not realizing that he was on camera. The circulation of the video on social media is further stoking tensions.
The police have arrested the 16-year-old boy and his father, Naushad Shaikh, 44. Senior Inspector Santosh Girigosavi of the Paud police station said villagers had first tried to get an apology from the boy’s family but were threatened by the father, so they approached the police.
Officials said Shaikh, a bakery employee from Bihar, and his son, a class 4 dropout, had shifted to the area recently.
Shiv Sena MP Shrirang Barne called the desecration a planned effort to offend Hindu sentiments, saying, “We will not allow insults to our religion.”
A massive police deployment, including extra forces, was present after the incident to ensure law and order and avoid further aggravation.
A FIR has been filed under BNS sections 196, 298, 299, 302, 351(2), and 3(5) in relation to the incident.
