Clashes erupt during demolition of dargah in Nashik, 21 police personnel injured

Twenty-one police personnel were injured and three police vehicles damaged on Tuesday night in clashes that broke out during the demolition of an unauthorised dargah in Maharashtra’s Nashik city, reported The Indian Express.

The situation is under control, the police said.

The violence took place near the Satpeer Baba Dargah in the Kathe Galli area after the Nashik Municipal Corporation began to raze the structure, which had been declared illegal by the Bombay High Court.

The police said that a mob gathered at around 11.30 pm near Usmania Chowk to oppose the demolition and began throwing stones at officers and leaders from the Muslim community who tried to pacify them.

Nashik Commissioner of Police Sandeep Karnik told The New Indian Express that trustees of the Satpeer Dargah had started the process of removing the structure on Tuesday night as per the High Court order.

“Police resorted to lathi charge and lobbed teargas shells to disperse the mob and brought the situation under control,” he said. “Three police vehicles were damaged and 21 police personnel injured in the attack. The dargah was demolished in the morning [on Wednesday] and the process to file an FIR and arrest [those involved in the violence] is on.”

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