Latur: Cops try to stop locals from hoisting ‘saffron flag’, assaulted

According to the police, around 1.30 am on February 19, on the occasion of Shivaji Jayanti, over two dozen locals belonging to the Shivaji Jayanti Mandal assembled near the Ambedkar Chowk in Pangaon to hoist a ‘saffron flag’. Since the area is earmarked as a ‘communally sensitive’ one, K Awaskar, a head constable attached with the Renapur police station in the district, restrained the group from hoisting the flag there. The members dispersed but returned in the morning and started shouting slogans against the head constable. After learning of the commotion, when Awaskar visited the spot again, he was allegedly assaulted by the mob.

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As assistant sub-inspector Yusuf Sheikh then intervened to ease the tension, the unruly mob targeted him too. Sheikh was allegedly paraded along with saffron flags and one of the accused also hurled a stone at Sheikh, causing him to collapse on the ground, said the police.

“Ambedkar Chowk is a communally sensitive area as there is a statue of Dalit leader Babasaheb Ambedkar and a masjid are on the same stretch. Therefore, locals are restrained from carrying out any activity that might create tension in the area. Sensing trouble with a saffron flag being hoisted, the policemen dispersed the crowd. While they heeded the warning at night, they returned next morning and started shouting slogans against the police and the two policemen in particular. The mob then attacked the head constable and when Sheikh tried to intervene they hurled a stone on his head from behind,” said Vikas Naik, DSP Latur.

“Sheikh was rushed to hospital. Based on the photographs clicked by local shopkeepers, we rounded up the suspects. After conducting a detailed probe, 17 youths, including a 17-year-old, were arrested,” Naik added.
According to the police, Shivaji Jayanti Mandal is not affiliated to any political party and is an independent fringe group comprising local youths.

All the accused, including the juvenile, have been booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 353 (use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duties). The juvenile has been sent to a children’s home while the others have been remanded in police custody until February 24.

The police are trying to trace the mobile phone of the accused in which a video of the episode was reportedly shot.